J.  T.  HOPKIN 


THE  murdered  victim  of  this  ex- 
citing mystery  story  is  Miss 
Cornelia  Alster,  a  wealthy 
spinster,  a  member  of  one  of  New 
York's  old  families.  She  is  an  eccen- 
tric, alienated  from  all  her  relatives, 
lavishing  her  benefactions  upon  pro- 
teges, the  latest  being  a  young  law- 
yer, Robert  Swan,  poor  but  capable, 
and  deeply  in  love  with  the  younger 
of  her  two  adopted  nieces.  Suspicion 
falls  mainly  upon  the  very  niece  with 
whom  he  is  in  love,  and  Swan  is 
greatly  concerned.  One  of  the  clev- 
erest developments  in  this  story 
comes  when  the  murderer  himself 
joins  in  the  hunt.  Even  the  profes- 
sional reader  will  find  himself  unable 
to  guess  the  mystery.  The  solution 
comes  as  a  distinct  surprise  in  al- 
most the  last  words  of  the  story. 


THE 

ALSTER 
CASE 


RUFUS  GILLMORE 


THE   ALSTER   CASE 


"  There  was  ...  a  sound  of  a  falling  body.     Then 
Trask  sprang  through  the  opening." 


[PAGE  275] 


BY 

RUFUS  GILLMORE 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  OPAL  PIN,"  "THE  MYSTERY  OF 
THE  SECOND  SHOT,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY 
CHARLES   L.  WRENN 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
1914 


COPYBIGHT,  1914,  BY 

D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY 


Copyright,  1914,  by  THE  FKANK  A.  MUNSEY  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


TO 

FREDERICK  GILLMORE 


2135676 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

"  There  was  ...  a  sound  of  a  falling  body,  then 
Trask  sprang  through  the  opening"  Frontispiece 

"Beatrice  had  risen   from  her  seat,   crossed  the 

room" 30 

"A  sudden  exclamation  from  General  Alster  caused 

me  hastily  to  turn  about" 96 

"On  the  way  to  the  door  she  stopped  at  the  table, 

picked  up  the  violets" 180 


THE  ALSTER  CASE 


ON  the  morning  after  the  murder  I  arrived  at 
the  office  late.  Having  been  outrageously 
overworked  and,  having  gone  through 
more  of  late  than  is  given  to  many  men  to  endure,  I 
had  barely  closed  my  eyes  the  night  before,  and  was 
in  a  highly  overwrought  and  nervous  condition.  I 
remember  that  I  went  straight  to  my  desk,  forgetting 
my  customary  "Good  morning"  to  the  office  boy, 
neglecting  even  that  welcoming  smile  from  pretty 
Miss  Walsh  with  which  my  day's  work  ordinarily 
began. 

Miss  Walsh,  let  it  be  known,  was  not  only  an  ex- 
ceedingly pretty  stenographer,  but  the  one  human 
being  in  that  outer  office  of  Avery,  Avery  &  Avery 
who  made  any  endeavor  to  lessen  my  burden.  The 
two  surviving  members  of  the  firm  thrust  work  upon 
me  daily  which  I  never  could  have  pretended  to 
complete  without  her  voluntary  aid.  Moreover,  she 
not  only  relieved  me,  or  assisted  me  in  my  tasks,  in 

I 


The  Alster  Case 


that  inordinately  successful  law  office,  but  in  many 
delicate  ways  she  conveyed  to  me  the  impression 
that  I  had  both  her  sympathy  and  appreciation  for 
all  I  endured  there. 

Barely  had  I  seated  myself  at  my  desk  in  the  outer 
office  this  morning  before  Miss  Walsh  stole  quietly 
over  to  me.  Pretending  to  be  in  search  of  some- 
thing among  the  piled  up  papers  on  my  desk,  yet 
with  a  woman's  eye  out  for  interruptions,  she  whis- 
pered: 

"Lim,  Junior,  has  been  running  in  and  out  after 
you  like  a  chipmunk." 

Limousine,  Junior,  the  younger  of  the  Averys, 
was  secretly  called  this  because  he  dashed  about  in 
the  family  limousine  whenever  his  father  was  out 
of  town  or  could  not  contrive  another  use  for  it. 
He  was  also  my  particular  slave-driver,  and,  being 
in  the  middle  twenties,  and  hence  a  year  or  two 
younger  than  I,  he  took  great  delight  in  making  an 
ostentation  of  his  authority  over  me.  I  already 
bore  three-quarters  of  the  burden  of  his  work — 
without  complaint  or  protest,  because  there  was  no 
escape.  My  father  had  given  up  the  struggle  and 
committed  suicide ;  I  was  the  only  one  of  the  family 
yet  started  on  a  career;  my  mother,  way  out  in  that 

2 


The  Alster  Case 


little  town  in  Ohio,  needed  what  I  earned  merely  to 
feed  and  clothe  and  house  herself  and  my  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  I  had  given  hostages.  I  was 
dependent,  in  its  lowest,  clerkly  form.  And  the 
Averys  made  the  most  of  it. 

"Does  he  want  anything  except "  I  reached 

for  the  clutter  of  law  books  at  the  back  of  my  desk. 
I  did  not  finish.  It  wasn't  necessary  with  Miss 
Walsh. 

"No,  I  think "  Miss  Walsh  stopped  ab- 
ruptly. She  picked  up  a  slip  of  blank  paper,  and 
scurried  away  to  her  own  desk,  just  as  the  younger 
of  the  Averys  flung  open  the  door  of  his  private 
office  and  headed  furiously  toward  me. 

"Where  are  those  references  on  the  Hawley  case 
you  were  to  have  ready  for  me  this  morning?"  he 
demanded  nippingly. 

»I'm  sorry " 

"Not  ready?"  There  was  a  snarl  in* his  voice, 
and  his  young,  immature  face  gathered  in  an  insult- 
ing look. 

"All  but  two,"  I  murmured,  opening  one  of  the 
books  and  burying  my  face  in  it. 

"  'All  but  two!'  "  he  mocked.  "What's  the  use? 
Court  opens  at  ten.  It's  after  nine  now  and  me 

3 


The  Alster  Case 


here  sitting  waiting  for  you  to  condescend  to  come 
to  work.  What's  the  matter  with  you  lately, 
Swan?" 

"Nothing — unless  it's  too  much  work  for  one 
man.  I  worked  until  after  six  on  these  references 
last  night." 

"Well — couldn't  you  work  later?" 

"No." 

"Why  not?" 

"I  had  an  engagement,"  I  answered  with  a  meek- 
ness which  was  loaded. 

"Engagement!     Engagement  with  whom?" 

"Must  I  tell  you?"     I  was  even  meeker. 

"  'Must  you  tell  me !'  '  Never  was  there  a  man 
who  could  mock  one  more  insolently.  "Far  be  it 
from  me  to  inquire  into  the  hidden  and  private  ad- 
ventures of  one  of  you  quiet  ones.  Still  waters  run 

deep  and "  he  made  an  odious  gesture.  "But 

there's  one  thing  I've  had  on  my  mind  to  tell  you 
for  a  long  time  and  now  appears  to  be  the  occasion. 
I'm  wise  to  a  great  deal  more  of  what's  happening 
about  this  office  than  you're  aware  of.  I  can't  stop 
you  from  swelling  out  to  dinners  and  shows,  but  if 
you  want  to  save  your  bacon  you'll  quit  trying  to 
curry  favor  with  those  about  this  office  by  taking 

4 


The  Alster  Case 


them  along."  His  eyes  shifted  from  mine,  carrying 
the  leer  of  an  insinuation  in  the  direction  of  Miss 
Walsh. 

"It's  lucky  for  you  that  she  didn't  see  you,"  I 
predicted,  flushing. 

"Oh !  So  it  wasn't  she !"  His  delight  in  his  dis- 
covery was  sophomoric,  disgusting. 

"No." 

"Well — of  course — if  you  choose  to  tamper  with 
the  affections  of  the  young  ladies  in  any  of  the  other 
offices  in  this  building " 

I  chose  to  leave  his  curiosity  still  unsatisfied.  I 
knew  the  nature  of  the  little  beast. 

"Whom  was  your  engagement  with?"  he  was 
forced  to  ask  at  last. 

"With  Miss  Cornelia  Alster,"  I  answered  quietly. 

The  news  was  the  bomb  to  him  that  I  expected. 
He  stood  for  a  moment  regarding  me  blankly,  his 
mouth  agape,  not  the  will  power  for  a  word  left 
to  his  tongue.  He  was  as  one  stunned  with  the 
magnificence  of  his  blunder,  the  uncalculated  pos- 
sibilities of  the  news  I  had  imparted.  "Well — get 
out  the  rest  of  those  references  for  me  just  as  soon 
as  you  can,"  he  ordered  in  a  voice  that  he  tried 
vainly  to  make  sound  natural. 

5 


The  Alster  Case 


But  though  he  retired  at  once  so  that  his  astonish- 
ment might  not  make  more  of  a  spectacle  of  him, 
sounds  told  me  that  he  had  borne  the  news  straight 
to  his  father  in  the  private  office  next  to  his.  And 
even  before  I  could  complete  the  work  for  which 
he  had  been  so  insistent,  word  came  that  I  was 
wanted  by  the  senior  and  ruling  member  of  the  firm. 

The  younger  of  the  Averys  had  evidently  been 
told  to  leave  further  words  and  action  to  his  father. 
At  least  he  was  not  present,  and  the  door  be- 
tween their  private  offices  was  tightly  closed  when 
I  came  upon  my  summons.  The  elder  Avery  was 
one  of  those  bearded,  squarely  hewed,  ponderous 
lawyers,  without  juice,  as  massive  of  body  and 
weighty  of  manner  as  if  he  were  one  of  the  pillars 
in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Justice.  He  was  a  superb, 
overbearing  advocate  of  whatever  cause  he  hap- 
pened to  take;  he  never  appeared  to  hear  the  other 
side.  He  motioned  me  to  a  chair  at  his  side. 

"My  son  has  just  informed  me,"  he  stated,  "that 
unknown  to  us  you  had  an  engagement  with  Miss 
Alster  last  night.  Am  I  correctly  informed?" 

I  nodded. 

"It  was  with  Miss  Cornelia  Alster — not  with 
either  of  her  charming  nieces?" 

6 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes.  With  Miss  Cornelia  Alster." 
"Hem !"  He  coughed,  apparently  for  importance 
rather  than  need.  "Mr.  Swan,"  he  began  after 
a  moment,  "you're  a  nice,  clean-looking,  well-set- 
up young  man,  a  credit  to  us,  I  hope.  But  I'm 
obliged  to  ask  you  one  question.  Was  your  en- 
gagement with  Miss  Alster  last  night  a  business  or 
a  social  one?" 

"Why  do  you  ask  me  that,  Mr.  Avery?" 
"For  a  number  of  reasons."  He  smoothed  his 
beard.  "For  a  number  of  reasons."  He  regarded 
me  heavily  with  a  baleful  look  that  he  intended  to 
be  subtle.  "We  won't  go  into  them  all.  But  I  think 
I  may  go  so  far  as  to  say — or  rather  to  intimate — 
that  we  shall  be  guided  by  your  answer  as  to 
whether  we  ought  to  make  a  charge  to  her  for  your 
services  or  not." 

"She  invited  me  to  accompany  her  to  the  opera. 
You  surely  can't  think  of  making  any  charge  against 
her  for  that,"  I  exclaimed. 

"Ah,  to  the  opera!  Yes,  yes;  purely  social.  As 
you  say,  we  should  not  think  of  making  any  charge 
for  that.  And  now  that  this  little  question  is  so 
satisfactorily  disposed  of,  I  think  I  will  take  occa- 
sion to  go  into  another  matter  that  concerns  you. 

7 


The  Alster  Case 


How  long  have  you  known  Miss  Cornelia  Al- 
ster?" 

"Two  or  three  weeks — a  month  at  the  outside." 
His  question  annoyed  me;  he  knew  very  well  how 
Icag  I  had  known  her. 

"A  month.  Yes,  let  us  call  it  a  month.  And  she 
appears  to  have  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  you,  has 
she?" 

In  spite  of  myself  I  blushed  a  little  at  the  in- 
sinuation I  suspected  to  be  lurking  behind  his  words. 
My  gorge  rose,  as  it  was  always  rising  in  my  deal- 
ings with  the  Averys,  father  or  son.  But  I  had  sense 
enough  to  realize  that  he  had  said  nothing  as  yet 
upon  which  to  fasten  offense.  "Yes,  she  appears 
to  like  me,"  I  responded  guardedly.  And  then  as 
his  calm  silence  and  scrutiny  seemed  to  require  more 
of  me,  I  went  on:  "You  may  remember  that  her 
affairs  were  turned  over  to  me  several  weeks  ago 
because  your  son  found  it  impossible  to  get  along 
with  her.  I  took  the  task  with  reluctance.  I  have 
had  occasion  to  see  her  perhaps  half  a  dozen  times 
since,  always  at  her  own  home,  always  on  business 
connected  with  the  estate.  I  found  her  eccentric, 
singularly  intolerant  of  all  advice,  but  as  soon  as  I 
realized  this  we  got  along  swimmingly.  Yes,  though 


The  Alster  Case 


I  may  be  flattering  myself,  I  think  I  may  say  that 
she  seemed  to  like  me.  Last  night's  invitation  to 
the  opera  proves  that." 

"Right,  but  do  you  know  how  little  that  means?" 
The  senior  Avery's  voice  rose  a  little. 

"I  trust  I  haven't  appeared  conceited  over  it." 
"Hem!"  His  silence  indicted  me  on  that  score 
all  right.  "We  won't  go  into  that.  It  isn't  neces- 
sary. But  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  counsel  you  on  what 
leads  up  to  that.  If  you  have  known  Miss  Alster 
for  only  a  few  weeks,  you  know  little  or  nothing 
about  her.  We  have  handled  her  estate  now  for 
perhaps  three  years  and  we  are  the  only  lawyers 
in  the  city  who  have  been  able  to  retain  it  for  more 
than  a  few  months  at  a  time.  This  must  prove  to 
you  of  itself  that  we  understand  Miss  Alster — un- 
derstand her  thoroughly.  And  now,  to  give  you  the 
benefit  of  our  experience,  I  want  to  tell  you  some- 
thing about  Miss  Alster.  She's  a  very  fickle  woman 
to  do  business  with,  to  have  any  dealings  with,  so- 
cial or  otherwise.  She's  a  woman  of  fine,  strong, 
generous  impulses,  but  they're  not  lasting.  I  feel 
it  my  duty  to  warn  you.  Her  highly  inflamed  gen- 
erosity is  not  to  be  counted  on.  Just  as  soon  as  she 
begins  to  show  favor  toward  people,  to  do  anything 

9 


The  Alster  Case 


for  them,  they  are  lost.  She  begins  to  think  they're 
ungrateful,  she " 

"But  I  don't  see  why  you  take  all  this  trouble  to 
warn  me  when  I  have  nothing  to  lose,"  I  broke  out. 
"I  have  only " 

"Nevertheless,"  he  silenced  me  with  a  broad, 
sweeping  gesture,  "nevertheless,  I  feel  it  my  duty 
to  do  so.  Now  to  prove  my  contention.  You  have 
doubtless  met  the  two  very  beautiful  and  cultivated 
young  women  who  live  with  her.  They  are  under- 
stood to  be  her  nieces.  They  are  not."  He  paused 
merely  to  enjoy  my  astonishment.  "Linda,  the 
elder,  is  not  related  to  her  in  any  way.  She  was 
adopted  in  a  generous  impulse  as  a  baby  from  what 
institution  or  person  nobody  knows.  Beatrice,  the 
younger,  is  the  offspring  of  some  distant  connection, 
how  remote  or  near,  no  one  knows  because  Miss  Al- 
ster by  her  eccentricities  long  ago  alienated  all  her 
relations  and  friends." 

I  murmured  my  surprise. 

"Now!"  He  brought  his  fist  down  ponderously 
on  his  desk  but  with  care  not  to  injure  himself. 
"Now,  to  prove  how  fickle  are  her  impulses.  Twen- 
ty-two years  ago  she  adopted  Linda  to  be  her  heir. 
Fifteen  years  ago  she  discarded  Linda  from  her 

10 


The  Alster  Case 


affections,  and  brought  Beatrice  into  her  household 
to  be  educated  as  her  heir.  On  her  also  she  in  time 
turned.  Less  than  one  year  ago  we  made  a  new  will 
in  which  she  left  all  her  estate,  except  a  bare  com- 
petence for  each,  to  a  certain  specified  list  of  char- 
ities." 

I  no  longer  murmured.     I  expressed  my  surprise. 

"Whether  it  was  fair  to  these  two  young  women 
to  bring  them  up  accustomed  to  the  luxuries  she 
provided,  whether  either  of  them  knows  the  emer- 
gencies they  must  later  face,  I  don't  say,  likewise 
that  is  beside  the  question.  All  I  feel  the  burden  of 
to-day  is  to  convince  you  that  she  is  fickle  and  dan- 
gerous in  the  extreme  to  all  young  people  who  ex- 
perience her  favor  and  grow  to  rely  upon  it.  To 
make  quite  sure  that  you  shall  not  be  misled  in  this 
way  in  spite  of  my  words,  I  shall  take  steps  to  take 
over  from  you  her  affairs  beginning  with  to-day. 
From  now  on,  when  she  asks  for  you,  you  are  to  tell 
us.  Either  my  son  or  I  will  attend  to  her  business." 

I  stood  and  looked  at  him  like  any  dolt.  "But — 
but "  at  last  I  sputtered. 

"There  are  no  buts  about  it.  You  are  to  do  as 
I  say  or — or  you  have  but  one  recourse — you  can 
leave  our  employment." 

ii 


The  Alster  Case 


I  still  stood  looking  at  him  emptily,  my  indigna- 
tion slowly  rising  to  the  surface. 

"Do  you  agree  to  this?"  he  demanded  severely. 

My  angry  reply  was  ready,  on  the  tip  of  my 
tongue,  but,  before  I  could  answer,  there  came  first 
a  careless  knock  on  his  door  and  then  his  son  swag- 
gered into  the  room. 

"Sorry,  father,"  he  said  curtly,  "but  some  lady 
just  insists  upon  having  Mr.  Robert  Swan  come  to 
the  telephone." 

I  stood  for  the  insult  of  his  emphasis  on  the  word 
"lady,"  likewise  the  censure  of  his  father's  look  and 
gesture.  I  hurried  out  to  the  telephone  booth  in 
the  outer  office,  and  after  a  brief  conversation  I  ran 
back  with  a  haste  that  caused  me  to  trip  on  the  rug 
at  the  door  and  all  but  spill  myself  on  the  floor 
before  the  Averys. 

"I  do  not  agree,"  I  yelled  excitedly. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  The  elder  Avery  rose  to 
his  feet. 

I  endeavored  to  check  my  agitation.  "I  mean — I 
mean  that  I  am  no  longer  a  slave  that  you  can  tell 
just  what  to  do  in  hours  and  out  of  hours.  I'm  a 
free  man  and  I  shall  do  what  I  please." 

My  agitation  seemed  to  pass  from  me  to  them. 
12 


The  Alster  Case 


Harold  Avery  turned  restively  toward  his  father. 
"Going  to  stand  for  this?"  he  demanded  sneeringly. 
And  his  father's  cheeks  grew  red  until  they  seemed 
as  fire  above  his  beard.  He  took  a  threatening  step 
toward  me,  one  hand  clutching  the  edge  of  his  desk 
as  if  he  intended  to  hurl  it  at  me.  "Very  well,  go 
then,"  he  yelled. 

I  turned  to  take  him  at  his  word.  He  leaped 
forward  and  seized  me  by  the  arm.  "No.  Wait!" 
he  commanded.  He  had  to  pause  a  long  time  to  re- 
gain control  of  his  feelings.  We  stood  and  glared 
at  each  other.  "What  do  you  intend  to  do?"  he 
demanded  at  last. 

I  was  a  little  white,  but  I  know  I  smiled.  Our 
situations  were  quite  reversed  now.  "There  is  no 
reason  why  I  shouldn't  tell  you,"  I  agreed.  "From 
now  on  I  am  to  have  complete  charge  of  Miss  Al- 
ster's  estate,  the  portion  she  has  looked  after  her- 
self as  well  as  the  small  part  you  have  had  charge 
of.  As  this  estate  figures  well  up  into  the  millions, 
I  shall  require  virtually  all  my  time.  So  you  can 
discharge  me  or  I  resign — I  don't  much  care  which." 

"We  shall  see  about  that."  The  elder  Avery 
was  regarding  me  with  a  smile.  "We  shall  see 
about  that,"  he  repeated  menacingly. 

13 


The  Alster  Case 


I  in  turn  smiled,  smiled  back  at  him,  heedless  for 
the  first  time  in  the  three  years  of  my  servitude  un- 
der him.  Then  I  could  not  forbear  making  the  most 
of  my  triumph.  "You  don't  know,"  I  stated,  "but 
at  Miss  Alster' s  direction  I  drew  up  a  new  will  for 
her  last  week,"  I  shot. 

He  continued  to  smile.  "Yes,  yes — perhaps — 
what  does  that  matter?"  he  rejoined.  "There  will 
be  another  will  to-morrow  and  perchance  another 
one  next  week,  but  that  account  will  never  leave  our 
office  for  more  than  a  few  hours  after  I  pull  certain 
strings." 

His  assurance  irritated  me.  "It's  a  trifle  late 
for  you  to  begin  to  pull  any  strings,"  I  ventured. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  They  both  asked  it  to- 
gether. 

"I  mean  that  in  the  present  will  I  am  nominated 
to  serve  as  sole  executor  of  her  entire  estate  and  I 
expect  to  qualify  under  nominal  bonds  within  the 
next  few  days." 

"You  expect  to — what?"  gasped  the  son. 

His  father  stopped  him  with  a  look  of  thick  se- 
renity which  he  afterward  visited  upon  me.  "We 
know  that  Miss  Alster  is  suffering  from  an  incura- 
ble disease,"  he  stated,  "but  you  appear  far  too  con- 


The  Alster  Case 


fident  that  she  won't  live  long  enough  to  make  an- 
other will.  I  shall  attend  to  that."  He  signed  to 
his  son  to  bring  him  his  hat. 

"You  can  save  yourself  all  this  trouble,"  I  an- 
nounced. "Miss  Alster  will  never  make  another 
will." 

"What!"  he  demanded,  facing  me,  and  then,  un- 
willingly: "Why?" 

I  could  keep  the  news  no  longer.  "I  have  just 
been  telephoned,"  I  cried  in  a  voice  louder  than  I 
wanted  it  to  be.  "Miss  Alster  was  found  murdered 
in  her  room  this  morning." 

And  before  either  of  them  could  think  of  a  word 
to  say,  I  walked  triumphantly  from  the  office. 


II 

I  SECURED  my  hat  and  coat  and  hurried 
through  the  outer  office  without  responding 
even  to  Miss  Walsh's  questioning  look.  Too 
late,  I  realized  how  she  would  have  rejoiced  at  the 
news.  But  on  me  now  was  the  additional  agitation 
of  one  suddenly  thrust  into  new  authorities  and  the 
hope  that  in  these  I  might  so  conduct  myself  as  to 
secure  the  favor  of  Miss  Beatrice  Alster.  It  was 
she — and  she  alone — who  occupied  my  mind  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  others;  and  I  hastened  to  her 
side  with  a  nervousness  that  I  was  greatly  put  to  it 
to  subdue. 

Miss  Alster's  late  residence  was  on  one  of  the 
streets  in  the  seventies,  just  away  from  Madison 
and  Fifth  Avenues,  a  four-story  brownstone  front, 
not  to  be  remarked  from  the  twenty  similar  in  the 
block  except  by  its  number.  As  I  turned  into  the 
street  I  looked  for  a  crowd  before  the  door.  There 
was  no  crowd.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
were  one  or  two  groups  of  men  engaged  in  conver- 
sation; as  I  approached  the  steps  two  men,  idling 

16 


The  Ahter  Case 


there,  looked  me  over,  but  apparently  Miss  Alster's 
death  had  not  provoked  the  sensation  I  expected. 

A  policeman  in  uniform  opened  the  door  and 
stopped  me  rudely  as  I  attempted  to  pass  him. 

"Reporter?  Here,  you!  This  don't  go.  See!" 
He  stopped  me  with  one  arm  while  the  other  held 
to  the  door. 

I  explained,  giving  my  name,  my  business,  and  the 
purpose  of  my  visit,  but  he  obstinately  refused  to 
permit  me  to  pass  until  I  identified  myself  by  my 
card,  by  letters,  by  the  initials  in  my  hat  and  by  the 
name  tag  in  my  clothes.  Evidently  he  had  been 
given  strict  orders  to  keep  reporters  at  bay;  and 
this — my  first  fury  at  my  own  delay  gone — pleased 
me  mightily. 

A  deathly  silence  reigned  over  the  house.  I  could 
not  make  up  my  mind  whether  the  slow,  muffled 
footsteps  that  seemed  to  start  up,  stop,  and  start  up 
again,  now  on  this  floor,  now  on  the  floor  above, 
now  at  an  indeterminable  distance  or  nearness — I 
could  not  decide  whether  they  were  real  or  a  fiction 
of  my  over-excited  imagination.  I  stood  dumbly  in 
the  front  hall  for  a  long  time,  hesitating,  the  dread 
of  the  house  .of  the  dead  upon  me,  a  great  fear  of 
making  some  blunder  or  not  showing  sufficient  con- 

17 


The  Alster  Case 


trol  and  authority  acting  like  paralysis  upon  me.  A 
slight  stir  behind  me  broke  the  spell.  I  turned. 
The  policeman  stationed  at  the  door  was  staring  at 
me  questioningly.  After  a  hasty  glance  into  the 
reception  room  at  the  right,  which  proved  to  be  un- 
occupied, I  went  quietly  upstairs. 

Miss  Alster  had  occupied  that  entire  second  floor 
and,  doubtless,  her  body  now  lay  in  one  of  its  rooms. 
I  took  a  long  breath  as  I  observed  that  all  the  doors 
were  closed.  Softly,  quickly  over  the  padded  car- 
pet, past  all  these  doors,  I  slipped,  never  stopping 
until  my  foot  was  on  the  next  staircase  and  I  had 
taken  a  firm  hold  of  its  banister. 

Thud!  Thud!  Thud!  As  I  paused  to  glance 
apprehensively  back  one  of  the  doors  opened.  A 
pair  of  eyes  fell  straight  and  searchingly  upon  me. 
With  a  loosening  of  the  heart  I  recognized  that  they 
were  gray,  that  they  were  a  man's  eyes,  that  was 
all,  then  the  door  was  closed. 

Thud!  Thud!  Thud!  Was  it  the  muffled  foot- 
steps of  this  man  that  I  heard  without  being  able 
to  locate?  How  could  he  have  heard  my  quick,  soft 
movements  along  that  hall  so  as  to  open  the  door 
and  look  straight  at  me?  With  a  shudder  I  slipped 
up  the  stairs. 

18 


The  Alster  Case 


Here,  as  below,  all  the  doors  were  closed.  I 
had  never  been  on  this  floor  before.  I  stood  unde- 
cided as  to  which  room  to  turn.  I  listened  and  could 
make  out  nothing  except  that  occasional  thud,  thud, 
thud,  which  seemed  to  seek  me  out  through  the  dead 
silence  and  to  beat  on  my  head  as  on  a  muffled  drum. 
I  stood  there  in  that  upper  hall  waiting,  listening, 
hoping  for  other  sounds  until  my  heart  seemed  to 
stop  beating,  then  the  door  of  the  front  room  on 
the  left  opened  and  Agnes,  Miss  Alster's  Irish  maid- 
servant, stepped  out. 

Her  usually  calm  face  was  flushed;  she  was  so  flus- 
tered that  she  failed  to  observe  me;  she  closed  the 
door  and  stood  holding  its  handle  as  against  some 
one  chasing  her,  or  at  least  as  if  against  one  whom 
she  did  not  wish  to  follow  her.  And,  when  she 
finally  looked  up  and  noted  my  presence,  she  did 
so  with  a  smothered  exclamation  of  relief.  Before 
I  could  speak  she  put  a  cautioning  finger  to  her  lips, 
listened  a  moment,  and  then  led  me  to  the  room 
farthest  away,  closed  the  door  and  turned  agitatedly 
toward  me. 

"  'Tis  a  madhouse,  a  madhouse,  a  madhouse  here 
to-day!"  she  exclaimed,  hysterically  wringing  her 
hands.  "The  old  fiend  dead,  God  rest  her  soul,  and 

19 


The  Alster  Case 


the  young  fiend  loose  and  carrying  on  till  we're  all 
at  our  wits'  ends,  and  not  a  man  about  to  lean  on  I 
Oh,  Mr.  Swan,  if  you'd  been  through  what  I  have 
this  lovely  morning!"  She  put  her  hand  on  my  arm 
and  seemed  about  to  cry.  "Not  a  friend  in  the  world 
— for  all  their  riches,  not  a  friend  in  the  world — it's 
a  lesson  to  us — not  a  soul  has  been  near  them — 
everyone  gone  except  me  and  Alice — could  you 
blame  me  for  leaving?  Not  a  man  around  these 
two  hours,  except  the  policeman  at  the  door,  and 

me  standing  the  brunt  of  it  all — and  me "  she 

choked  off. 

I  took  her  by  the  arm  and  led  her  to  a  chair.  I 
gave  her  a  little  time  to  control  herself.  Then  I 
thought  of  the  butler.  "But  where's  Keith?"  I  asked 
her. 

"The  blackguard!"  She  forgot  her  woe  in  her 
resentment.  "Where  would  he  be  the  once  we  need 
him?  Gone,  like  the  bad  rubbish  I  said  he  was. 
From  the  minute  I  first  set  eyes  on  that  man  I  knew 
him  for  what  he  was,  a  villain  if  ever  I  saw  one. 
If  the  old  fiend  had  ever  seen  his  carryings  on  with 
the  young  fiend  as  I  have!" 

"You  mean  with  Miss  Linda?"  I  asked  amazed. 

"Sure,  'twas  scandalous!  A  butler  making  signs 
20 


The  Alster  Case 


to  her  whenever  he  wanted  to  talk  with  her,  whis- 
pering soft  nothings  into  her  silly  young  ears  in 
this  hall  upstairs  when  he  thought  no  one  was 
watching,  and  then  leaving  like  the  sneak  and  the 
coward  he  is  just  when  the  young  fiend  needed  him! 
What  would  you  think  of  just  the  scrapings  of  a  man 
like  that?" 

Keith,  the  butler,  carrying  on  a  surreptitious  flir- 
tation with  Linda  Alster!  Headstrong  as  that 
pretty  young  woman  was,  I  could  not  believe  it.  I 
set  it  down  to  Agnes's  prejudice.  I  led  her  away 
from  the  subject  by  inquiring  as  to  just  how  and 
at  what  time  Miss  Alster's  body  had  been  dis- 
covered. 

"Sure,  Mr.  Swan,  I've  told  that  so  many  times  al- 
ready 'tis  dead  on  my  tongue.  There  was  the  doc- 
tor, the  police,  the  man  that's  to  buy  the  house, 
the " 

"The  man  that's  to  buy  the  house !" 

"Either  that  or  else  he's  a  friend  of  the  family 
or  else — but  didn't  he  tell  me  he  had  been  sent  for 
to  look  over  the  house,  and  haven't  I  run  into  him 
everywhere  looking  it  over,  counting  the  closets 
and  trying  the  windows  and  the  doors  as  if  to 
cheapen  it  when  we  came  to  sell.  And  yet  I  liked 

21 


The  Alster  Case 


the  old  duck;  he  acted  like  he  knew  his  business,  I'll 
say  that  for  him,  and  he " 

"But  Miss  Alster  never  said  anything  about  want- 
ing to  sell  the  house." 

"The  old  fiend!  Sure,  and  don't  you  know  her? 
She  was  always  surprising  them  she  took  close  to 
her,  not  to  say  disappointing  them.  Take  Miss 
Linda,  see  what  she's  made  out  of  her.  Taking  one 
up  like  a  nurse  and  dropping  one  like — like  an  empty 
tin  can!  Sure,  I  knew  she  would  never  come  to 
any  good  end,  God  rest  her  soul!" 

Gradually  I  got  from  her  the  details  of  how  and 
when  the  body  was  discovered,  though  with  many 
digressions  not  necessary  to  this  story.  It  appeared 
that  Miss  Alster  had  been  a  martinet  for  having 
breakfast  served  at  eight-thirty  every  morning  and 
was  always  down  herself  a  few  minutes  before  that 
hour,  making  sure  that  her  nieces  and  servants  alike 
should  be  on  time.  At  eight  this  morning  Keith, 
the  butler,  not  having  appeared  to  prepare  the  ta- 
ble, Alice,  the  cook,  went  up  to  call  him,  Agnes  re- 
fusing to  do  it.  Alice  came  back  with  the  news 
that  his  bed  was  empty  and  had  not  been  slept  in. 
The  two  maids  debated  the  matter  and  agreed  that 
neither  cared  to  break  the  news  to  Miss  Alster,  be- 

22 


The  Alster  Case 


cause  Keith  was  one  of  her  latest  proteges  and  she 
would  be  furious.  Eight-thirty  arrived  and  Miss 
Alster  had  not  come  down.  There  had  been  some 
gossip  between  the  maids  as  to  how  Miss  Alster 
would  take  his  absence,  stopped  suddenly  by  the  en- 
trance of  the  two  nieces.  They  appeared  as  as- 
tonished at  Keith's  disappearance  as  the  servants 
were.  There  were  questions ;  the  four  women  grew 
more  and  more  alarmed  as  the  minutes  passed  and 
Miss  Alster  also  failed  to  come  down.  At  last  all 
four  went  up  together  and  knocked  at  her  door. 
There  was  no  answer.  They  listened  and  could 
not  hear  her  stirring.  They  tried  the  door  and 
found  it  locked.  Then  they  all  fled  downstairs. 

Here  they  talked  over  in  hushed  whispers  what 
might  have  happened  until  not  one  of  them  dared 
to  go  upstairs  again.  Finally  Miss  Beatrice  tele- 
phoned for  the  family  physician.  He  came  with  a 
locksmith  and  the  women  trooped  upstairs  behind 
them,  Miss  Beatrice  in  the  lead.  The  locksmith 
opened  the  door,  discovering  the  lights  still  to  be 
burning  wanly.  He  and  the  doctor  led  the  way  in, 
followed  by  all  four  women.  Miss  Alster  was  in 
her  living-room,  fully  dressed,  lying  back  in  a  chair 
as  if  she  had  fallen  asleep.  They  spoke  to  her  and 

23 


The  Alster  Case 


she  neither  answered  nor  moved.  The  men  went 
over  to  her,  waving  the  women  back,  and  screening 
her  from  their  sight  with  their  bodies.  Then  Miss 
Linda  screamed.  She  had  seen  the  pool  of  blood 
lying  behind  her  aunt's  chair. 

According  to  Agnes,  Linda  had  rushed  screeching 
from  the  room,  refusing  to  allow  Beatrice  to  com- 
fort or  to  come  near  her.  Agnes  followed  her  up- 
stairs to  her  room,  where  Linda  locked  the  door 
and  declared  that  she  never  wanted  to  see  Beatrice 
again.  Beatrice  knocked  at  the  door  and  Linda 
called  to  her  to  go  away,  flew  into  one  of  those 
dry,  hysterical  tantrums  that  caused  the  servants  to 
call  her  "the  young  fiend."  She  attempted  to  get 
her  hat  and  coat  and  leave  the  house,  but  Agnes 
managed  to  prevent  her  by  telling  her  that  she 
would  be  arrested  if  she  left  before  the  coroner  gave 
permission.  Not  until  her  passion  wore  itself  out 
had  Agnes  been  able  to  bring  Beatrice  and  her  to- 
gether. And  ever  since 

"But  I  thought  that  Beatrice  was  the  only  one 
that  could  do  anything  with  Linda  when  she  had 
one  of  these  fits,"  I  objected. 

"Sure,  the  devil  in  the  old  one  has  found  a  lodg- 
ing in  the  young  one.  Since  this  morning  she  has 

24 


The  Alster  Case 


that  hate  for  Miss  Beatrice  that  would  do  credit  to 
the  old  fiend  herself." 

"Don't  expect  me  to  believe  that  Miss  Alster 
really  hated  Beatrice!"  I  protested  scornfully, 
rushing  to  Beatrice's  defense. 

"And  what  do  outsiders  like  you  know  about  the 
people  of  the  house  and  how  they  feel  toward  each 
other?"  Agnes  crossed  off  my  scorn  with  her  own. 
"Have  you  never  seen  that  Miss  Linda  has  her  fits 
and  tantrums,  but  that  Miss  Beatrice  is  the  one  with 
a  will  of  her  own?  Maylike  you  have  never  heard 
of  all  the  attempts  of  the  old  fiend  to  break  it?  How 
would  you,  being  new  to  the  family  and  yet  under 
the  old  fiend's  spell?" 

I  had  nothing  to  say.  I  thought  better  of  my 
attempt  to  change  her  opinion. 

Agnes  rose  from  her  chair,  her  anger  that  of  a 
good  servant  whose  word  has  been  questioned. 
"Maylike  you'll  be  saying  those  two  girls  is  friends," 
she  derided  with  a  roused  servant's  contempt. 
"Maylike  you'll  be  dreaming  that  this  trouble  has 
brought  them  together.  Maylike  you'll  be  denying 
that  Miss  Linda  threw  a  book  at  my  head,  that  she 
threatened  to  kill  me  if  I  stayed  in  the  room."  She 
flung  open  the  door. 

25 


The  Alster  Case 


In  the  hall  outside  stood  a  short,  square-shoul- 
dered, slightly  corpulent  yet  athletic-looking  man  of 
about  forty-five.  He  had  a  massive,  powerful-look- 
ing head  with  a  good  thatch  of  wavy  hair  and  a 
short-cropped  sandy  mustache.  He  looked  like  a 
business  man,  a  broker,  or  the  executive  of  some 
big  business  downtown,  who,  having  steered  it  to  a 
prosperous  destiny,  was  now  concerned  in  finding  a 
fitting  home  or  investment  for  his  money,  and  his 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  ventilator  high  on  the 
wall  as  if  appraising  its  use  and  value.  He 
completed  his  inspection  before  acknowledging  our 
presence  with  a  slow,  negligent  glance  from  his  gray 
eyes. 

Agnes  nodded  toward  him  to  indicate  that  he  was 
the  man  whom  she  had  mentioned  and  appeared 
quite  unconcerned  that  he  should  have  been  near 
while  she  was  revealing  family  secrets.  She  turned 
back  toward  me  and  went  on  with  the  burden  of 
her  argument. 

"Sure,  sir,  go  in.  Go  in  and  see  for  yourself, 
if  you  don't  believe  me,"  she  exclaimed.  She  pointed 
toward  the  room  at  the  front  of  the  hall  and  ran 
downstairs. 

I  hesitated.  Agnes  had  convinced  me  that  there 
26 


The  Alster  Case 


was  trouble  between  the  two  nieces.  I  had  known 
them  only  a  few  weeks,  had  seen  neither  more  than 
a  half  a  dozen  times,  and  gravely  doubted  my  ca- 
pacity for  serving  as  a  peacemaker.  And  yet  if  Be- 
atrice needed  aid!  If  I  could  only  believe  that  my 
presence  would  not  be  an  intrusion! 

I  heard  Linda's  voice  raised  in  anger,  and  this 
prosperous-looking  business  man  seemed  interested 
neither  in  that  nor  in  me,  nor  in  anything  except 
the  mopboard  and  the  doorframes  in  the  hall. 

"There's  a  closet  and  an  open  fireplace  in  that 
room,  I  presume?"  he  said  finally,  acknowledging 
me  with  a  smile  that  I  found  peculiarly  ingratiating; 
and  then,  with  a  good  nature  quite  as  winning, 
"Don't  you  think  it  would  be  better  if  you  went  in 
as  the  maid  suggested?" 

Before  I  could  protest  he  took  me  by  the  arm, 
led  me  to  the  door,  knocked,  and,  upon  receiving 
permission,  ushered  me  quietly  into  the  room.  I 
had  a  short  view  of  him,  smiling  beneficently  after 
me  as  he  closed  the  door  between  us,  and  then  I 
faced  the  dreaded  duty  before  me. 

It  was  as  Agnes  had  declared.  One  glance  suf- 
ficed to  settle  that.  In  chairs  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  room  sat  Miss  Alster's  two  pseudo  nieces,  their 

27 


The  Alster  Case 


eyes  avoiding  each  other.  It  was  Beatrice  who 
greeted  me,  holding  out  her  hand  without  rising 
from  her  seat,  and  with  a  slight  lightening  of  her 
lovely  dark  face  that  made  my  heart  catch.  Linda, 
her  pretty  blonde  head  supported  by  one  hand,  con- 
tinued staring  at  the  window,  oblivious  of  me,  con- 
scious apparently  only  of  some  hot  difference  of 
which  she  still  nursed  the  grievance. 

"I — I  don't  intrude?"  I  couldn't  help  asking, 
looking,  however,  not  at  Linda  but  at  Beatrice. 

She  shook  her  head.  After  a  moment  Linda 
turned  around  toward  me  as  if  I  had  addressed  her, 
her  blue  eyes  snapping. 

"Not  as  long  as  you  don't  attempt  to  tell  me  what 
I  ought  to  do,"  she  said  with  a  petulant  toss  of  her 
head.  She  seemed  about  to  say  more,  but  stopped 
at  a  look  from  Beatrice. 

"Remember,  Linda  1  Remember  your  promise  to 
me,"  warned  Beatrice  in  a  voice  that  trembled  a  lit- 
tle. 

"I  can  be  trusted  quite  as  much  as  one  I'm  not 
naming,"  retorted  Linda,  and  I  saw  Beatrice  take 
the  affront  to  herself,  blush  and  become  silent  as  if 
fearing  to  provoke  her  further. 

I  stood  there,  attempting  to  divert  them  from 
28 


The  Alster  Case 


their  difference  by  making  some  inane  lead  about  the 
weather. 

Suddenly  Linda  interrupted  me  in  the  midst  of  a 
sentence.  "Beatrice  says  it  is  necessary  for  me  to 
remain  here  to  preserve  appearances  for  her — is 
it?" 

"Yes,  but  quite  as  much  to  preserve  appearances 
for  yourself."  I  stared  at  her  in  amazement. 

"I  don't  care  anything  about  appearances.  I 
want  to  go.  I  want  to  leave  this  house  and  all  its 
terrible  people  forever.  I  never  want  to  see  any  of 
them  again."  She  rose  and  ran  to  the  win- 
dow, pulled  the  drawn  curtain  aside  and  peeked  out. 

"You  can't.  You  can't  go  until  the  coroner  has 
given  you  permission  without  laying  yourself  open 
to  suspicion." 

"Suspicion?  Suspicion  of  what?"  She  dropped 
the  curtain  and  turned  angrily  toward  me. 

What  could  I  say?  I  made  a  gesture  threaten- 
ing more  than  I  cared  to  put  in  words  and  saw  her 
eyes  slowly  leave  me,  travel  to  Beatrice  and  dwell 
upon  her  coldly.  "Is  that  why  you're  staying,  Be- 
atrice, dear?"  I  heard  her  ask  scornfully. 

"Linda!     Remember!"  was  Beatrice's  only  reply. 

Linda  seemed  thoroughly  to  enjoy  her  discom- 

29 


The  Alster  Case 


fiture.  She  returned  to  her  chair  and  her  manner 
relaxed.  "Do  you  know  anything  about  the  will?" 
she  suddenly  asked  me. 

"Linda,  what  does  that  matter?"  interposed  Be- 
atrice. 

"Everything  to  me,  if  you  do  pretend  it  doesn't 
to  you,"  retorted  Linda.  "Oh,  I'll  keep  my  agree- 
ment with  you  now,  no  matter  how  the  will  reads, 
but  there's  one  thing  I  must  know.  Oh,  what  a  fool 
I  am!"  She  whipped  suddenly  toward  me.  "Mr. 
Swan,  you're  a  lawyer,  tell  me.  If  Beatrice  solemn- 
ly promises  to  give  me  half  what  she  inher " 

But  that  question  was  never  finished.  Beatrice 
had  risen  from  her  seat,  crossed  the  room  and  stood 
glaring  down  into  Linda's  eyes  with  an  intensity 
before  which  she  quailed.  Linda  stopped  talking, 
stared  boldly  back  for  a  few  moments,  then  shud- 
dered and  changed  her  seat.  There  was  real  fear 
in  her  action,  though  she  sought  to  cover  it  with  a 
hollow,  ineffective  laugh.  And  then  came  a  knock 
on  the  door. 

I  turned.  Had  that  door  been  ajar  all  the  time 
since  my  entrance?  Then  it  swung  open  and  the 
man  who  had  led  me  in  ushered  in  a  stalwart  white- 
haired  man  with  a  white  mustache  and  a  distin- 

30 


Beatrice  had  risen  from  her  seat,  crossed  the  room." 


The  Alster  Case 


guished  manner,  whom  I  recognized  instantly  as 
General  Alster.  I  had  seen  him  often  on  the  plat- 
form at  political  rallies  and  at  public  mass  meet- 
ings where  great  reforms  were  agitated,  but  I  had 
never  dreamed  that  he  was  related  to  Miss  Cor- 
nelia Alster  as  his  first  words  indicated. 

"I  ventured  to  come  here  the  moment  I  heard 
the  sad  news  and  the  man  outside  insisted  upon  my 
coming  right  in,"  he  stated.  He  advanced  past  me 
toward  the  girls,  who  had  risen,  forgetting  their  dif- 
ference in  their  astonishment  at  seeing  him.  "Are 
you  the  children?"  He  gave  them  each  a  hand. 
"Why,  you're  quite  as  pretty  near  to  as  at  a  dis- 
tance— both  of  you.  Don't  blush,  I've  seen  you 
often  in  your  aunt's  box  at  the  opera  and  wanted  to 
meet  you.  Nothing  except  the  absurdly  strained  re- 
lations between  me  and  my  cousin  could  have  kept 
me  away.  But  now " 

I  looked  at  the  door.  It  was  closed  tightly. 
Probably  it  had  been  closed  quite  as  tightly  after 
my  own  entrance.  I  remained  a  few  minutes,  un- 
necessary, unnoticed  and  uncomfortable,  watching 
the  courtly  old  general  making  friends  with  the  two 
girls,  then,  with  murmured  excuses,  I  slipped  out 
of  the  room. 

31 


The  Alster  Case 


The  man  whom  I  had  suspected  of  eavesdropping 
was  nowhere  in  sight  and  the  noise  in  the  lower  hall 
told  of  the  arrival  of  a  number  of  people.  I  hur- 
ried downstairs  to  learn  what  this  meant. 


Ill 

AS  I  turned  down  the  last  flight  my  eyes  fell 
upon  a  great  crowd  of  people  in  the  lower 
hall.  They  were  wedged  into  it  like  sar- 
dines and  my  first  glance  told  me  that  they  were 
not  young  and  active  enough  to  be  reporters,  as  I 
had  feared.  As  midway  on  the  stairs  I  stood  star- 
ing at  them  in  perplexity,  a  man  separated  himself 
from  them  and  made  straight  for  me  as  if  directed. 

"I'm  Coroner  Halsperg,  in  charge  of  this  case," 
he  stated.  "Can  you  tell  me  if  the  deceased  is  a 
relative  of  General  Alster's?" 

"She  was  a  cousin,  I  believe,"  I  responded. 

"Ah,  I  thought  so  I"  he  exclaimed  with  satisfac- 
tion. "And  I  understand  he  is  here.  Will  you  ar- 
range so  that  I  may  have  a  few  words  with  him?" 

I  led  him  upstairs  and  called  General  Alster  out 
into  the  hall.  Wondering  how  a  coroner's  jury 
should  have  come  upon  this  case  with  such  celerity, 
I  kept  my  ears  open  and  obtained  an  explanation. 
Coroner  Halsperg,  it  appeared,  had  been  at  the 
house  earlier  and  left  to  take  charge  of  a  jury  drawn 

33 


The  Alster  Case 


for  another  inquest.  He  had  thought  to  curry  fa- 
vor with  General  Alster  by  bringing  the  jury  to  sit 
on  this  case  instead. 

"Suicide?  Well,  I  don't  know.  But  I'll  do  the 
best  I  can  for  you,  General,"  I  heard  him  promise 
before  he  came  hurrying  down  to  call  the  jury  up- 
stairs to  inspect  the  room  in  which  Miss  Alster's 
body  had  been  found. 

Over  the  banister  in  the  hall  above  I  watched  the 
jury  ascend.  The  members  appeared  to  be  citi- 
zens of  much  better  standing  than  I  had  deemed 
likely  to  serve  on  a  coroner's  jury.  I  did  not  under- 
stand this  until  later,  when  it  was  explained  to  me 
that  the  coroners  made  a  point  of  selecting  citizens 
accustomed  to  social  conditions  somewhat  similar 
to  those  of  the  deceased.  I  did  not  envy  them  their 
duty  of  inspecting  the  very  room  in  which  Miss  Al- 
ster had  met  her  death. 

The  rooms  on  that  floor  were  arranged  as  is  set 
forth  in  the  plan  on  the  next  page. 

I  stood  at  the  door  after  they  had  all  poured  into 
her  living-room.  Nothing  could  have  induced  me  to 
pass  through  the  door.  In  that  room  only  this  morn- 
ing they  had  discovered  that  ghastly,  feelingless 
form  that  never  again  could  be  forced  to  utter  a 

34 


The  Alster  Case 


single  word,  that  could  be  mutilated  without  mur- 
muring, that  could  be  cut  up  without  bleeding.  On 
the  bed  in  that  adjacent  chamber,  separated  from 


A — Chair  in  which  body  of  Miss  Alster  was  found. 

B — Dresser  on  which  pistol  was  kept. 

C — Door  always  kept  locked  and  never  used. 

me  only  by  a  wall,  lay  the  body,  hearing  but  not 
speaking,  seeing  but  pretending  not  to,  knowing  but 
not  declaring.  I  shuddered.  To  keep  my  imagina- 

35 


The  Alster  Case 


tion  from  bringing  my  flesh  in  actual  contact  with  it, 
I  listened  to  the  coroner. 

He  was  recapitulating  in  a  quiet,  inconsequential 
tone.  "Windows  all  found  shut  and  locked;  that 
door  there  into  the  library  found  locked,  key  on  this 
side;  this  door  here  into  the  hall  also  locked,  had 
to  be  opened  by  a  locksmith;  and  the  body  found 

here  in  this  chair "  he  pointed  to  the  blotch  on 

the  carpet — "fully  dressed;  pistol  at  her  feet.  Any 
questions,  gentlemen?"  At  their  silence  he  led  them 
away  downstairs;  and  rather  than  be  left  alone  on 
that  floor,  I  crowded  in  among  the  jury. 

Coroner  Halsperg  was  a  jovial-looking,  matter- 
of-fact,  business-like  German-American,  without 
imagination,  yet  with  powers  of  observation  that 
fitted  him  aptly  for  his  task.  In  the  dining-room 
downstairs  he  quickly  seated  his  jury  in  a  cluster  at 
his  left,  drawing  up  a  chair  to  the  uncovered  dining- 
table  for  himself.  Then,  having  waved  the  wit- 
nesses and  others  to  seats  on  the  right,  he  rapped  on 
the  table  and  opened  the  inquest. 

"Doctor  Hayden,"  he  called. 

Doctor  Hayden  took  his  place  at  the  other  side 
of  the  table  waiting,  but  the  coroner  appeared  to 
delay  for  some  reason. 

36 


The  Alster  Case 


Suddenly  in  the  wide  double  doorway  opening 
between  this  room  and  the  reception  room  in  front 
appeared  the  man  who  had  peered  at  me  from  the 
death  chamber,  who  had  later  thrust  me  into  the 
room  where  the  girls  had  secluded  themselves.  He 
looked  carelessly  over  the  whole  assemblage,  ap- 
peared about  to  withdraw  and  take  a  seat  in  the 
other  room,  but  at  a  nod  and  sign  from  the  coroner 
advanced  into  the  dining-room  and  established  him- 
self in  a  corner  behind  this  official.  I  felt  that 
something  was  explained.  This  man  who  had  made 
himself  so  much  at  home  about  the  house  was  ap- 
parently the  coroner's  assistant.  And  yet  he  seemed 
too  well  dressed  to  hold  such  an  unimportant  posi- 
tion. 

"Now,  Doctor  Hayden,  if  you  will  tell  us  just 
what  happened  here  this  morning  after  you  were 
called,"  ordered  the  coroner. 

Doctor  Hayden,  a  short,  suave,  handsome  man 
just  leaving  middle  age  behind  him,  began  at  once, 
by  giving  his  name,  age  and  his  address,  which 
proved  to  be  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  "My 
valet  had  just  finished  shaving  me  and  I  was  about 
to  go  down  to  breakfast  when  one  of  the  maids  in 
my  house  came  running  upstairs  with  the  news  that 

37 


The  Alster  Case 


Miss  Alster  was  locked  in  her  room,  couldn't  be 
roused,  and  her  nieces  feared  that  something  had 
happened  to  her.  I  hastened  to  the  telephone,  and 
from  Miss  Beatrice's  alarm  gathered  that  the 
women  relied  upon  me  to  do  all  that  was  necessary. 
Getting  into  my  motor,  I  found  a  locksmith  and 
took  him  with  me  to  the  house.  The  four  women — 
Miss  Alster's  two  nieces,  the  maid-servant  and  the 
cook — were  all  gathered  in  the  lower  hall,  not  dar- 
ing to  venture  upstairs.  I  did  my  best  to  relieve 
their  worst  fears  by  stating  that  probably  Miss  Al- 
ster was  either  more  soundly  asleep  than  usual  or 
had  experienced  a  mild  shock.  The  locksmith  and 
I  proceeded  upstairs  with  the  four  women  trailing 
along.  The  locksmith  opened  the  door  without 
forcing  it.  We  entered  and  saw  Miss  Alster  sit- 
ting in  a  chair  but  a  short  distance  from  the  door. 
She  looked  as  if  she  might  have  fallen  back  in  it 
asleep.  The  electric  lights  in  the  room  were  burn- 
Ing,  though  the  morning  was  a  bright  one.  I  spoke 
to  her  and  she  did  not  move.  The  locksmith  and 
I  ran  to  her.  At  almost  the  same  instant  that  I  saw 
the  wound  in  her  neck  one  of  the  women  must  have 
seen  the  pool  of  blood  behind  her  on  the  floor  and 
.screamed.  We  got  the  women  out  of  the  room. 

38 


The  Alster  Case 


I  made  sure  Miss  Alster  was  dead  and  then  sent 
the  cook  to  telephone  the  police.  While  waiting 
for  them  to  come  the  locksmith  inspected  the  doors 
and  windows  and  floor  and  I  examined  the  wound, 
all  without  disturbing  anything." 

At  the  request  of  the  coroner  he  described  in 
technical  terms  the  position  of  the  wound  and  the 
course  the  bullet  had  taken.  Translated  from  his 
Latin  verbiage,  it  revealed  that  Miss  Alster  had 
died  instantaneously  from  a  bullet  that  had  entered 
the  back  of  her  neck  and  followed  an  upward  course 
into  her  brain.  She  had  been  dead,  he  judged,  thir- 
teen or  fourteen  hours. 

The  coroner  here  interrupted  him  for  the  first 
time.  "Then  the  shot  that  caused  her  death  must 
have  been  fired  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  last 
night?" 

"Yes,  I  should  think  so." 

"From  the  position  and  condition  of  the  wound 
would  you  say  that  it  could  have  been  self-inflicted?" 

"W-ell,"  Doctor  Hayden  plainly  hesitated,  "y-es, 
it  was  possible." 

"What  makes  you  so  doubtful?" 

"Because  the  arm  would  have  to  be  held  in  such 
a  cramped  and  unnatural  position  to  shoot  one's 

39 

1.  T 


The  Alster  Case 


self  in  the  back  of  the  neck "  He  illustrated  on 

himself — "but  you  see  it  is  possible." 

"In  case  it  was  self-inflicted  there  would  be  pow- 
der marks  about  the  wound,  wouldn't  there?" 

"Yes." 

"Did  you  discover  any?" 

"Yes." 

"That  is  why  you  think  it  may  have  been  self- 
inflicted?" 

"Yes,  though  powder  marks  can  sometimes  be 
made  from  a  distance  of  three  or  four  feet." 

The  coroner  seemed  to  observe  at  once  the  stress 
he  laid  on  this  last  statement.  He  asked  quickly: 
"You  seem  inclined  to  believe  that  more  likely  this 
wound  was  made  by  somebody  else  firing  from  that 
distance — why?" 

"Because  the  powder  marks  were  granulated  and 
scattered.  There  was  not  the  heavy  smear  they 
usually  make  when  a  shot  is  fired  at  such  very  close 
range." 

"Oh!"  Coroner  Halsperg  made  the  exclama- 
tion involuntarily;  he  turned  and  his  eyes  sought 
those  of  the  man  seated  in  the  corner  behind  him 
as  if  this  testimony  unexpectedly  rendered  credible 
some  suspicions  this  man  had  presented  to  him. 

40 


The  Alster  Case 


With  a-  gesture  that  appeared  to  signify  that  he  was 
not  yet  convinced,  he  went  on. 

"In  your  earlier  testimony,  Doctor  Hayden,  you 
said  something  about  fearing  that  Miss  Alster  might 
have  suffered  a  shock.  Why  did  you  think  that?" 

Doctor  Hayden  nodded.  "Miss  Alster  was  af- 
fected by  a  very  dangerous  lesion  of  the  heart  that 
might  have  caused  partial  or  complete  paralysis  at 
any  moment." 

"Was  she  aware  of  this?" 

"Yes,  both  I  and  the  specialists  whom  I  called 
in  at  her  request  thought  best  to  tell  her.  She  was 
a  woman  of  considerable  property  and  with  varied 
interests ;  she  might  die  in  a  flash  at  any  instant  with- 
out having  time  to  put  her  affairs  in  order;  she 
might  even  bring  on  the  fatal  seizure  herself  by  un- 
usual exertion  or  excitement;  we  decided  on  all  these 
accounts  it  was  better  to  inform  her,  though  I  my- 
self too  late  regretted  doing  so." 

"Regretted  telling  her  that  she  was  liable  to  go 
at  any  minute?  Why?" 

"She  had  a  much  more  morbid  disposition  than 
I  before  realized."  Doctor  Hayden  stopped  and 
seemed  averse  to  pursuing  the  inquiry  further  in  this 
direction. 


The  Alster  Case 


"Go  on,"  urged  the  coroner. 

"W-ell,  she  brooded  over  the  possibility.  The 
thought  that  she  might  have  no  warning  that  her 
last  minute  was  approaching  had  a  disastrous  ef- 
fect. She "  Doctor  Hayden  stopped  short;  his 

lips  closed  firmly. 

Coroner  Halsperg  waited  patiently  a  moment  for 
him  to  continue.  Then  he  bent  forward.  "Doctor 
Hayden,"  he  demanded  severely,  "did  Miss  Alster 
ever  do  anything  or  say  anything  that  led  you  to 
fear  that  she  might  take  her  own  life?" 

"W-ell " 

"Doctor  Hayden,  the  purposes  of  this  inquiry  de- 
mand that  you  should  answer  that  question  without 
quibbling  or  reservation." 

Doctor  Hayden  flushed  a  little.  "I  have  no  de- 
sire to  frustrate  your  purposes,"  he  disclaimed. 
"Yes,  I  think  I  ought  to  admit  that  she  expressed 
some  such  intention  to  me  once  or  twice,  but  I  gave 
little  credit  to  it.  I  have  heard  so  many  people  of 
her  age  who  suffer  from  incurable  diseases  speak 
lightly  of  having  such  an  intention  that  I  had  no 
belief  that  she  would  do  it.  I  had  a  patient  only  last 
week  who " 

The  coroner  made  an  impatient  gesture.  "Doc- 
42 


The  Alster  Case 


tor  Hayden,"  he  interrupted,  "are  you  aware 
whether  she  purchased  the  pistol  found  by  her  body 
with  any  such  intention?" 

"I  am  not." 

"You  don't  know?" 

"No." 

"She  never  did  anything  more  than  to  say  that 
she  preferred  death  by  her  own  hand  to  the  sus- 
pense?" 

"I  won't  go  so  far  as  to  say  that.  She  once  asked 
me,  I  remember,  for  the  name  of  some  poison  that 
would  be  immediate  and  painless." 

"Did  you  give  her  the  name  of  any  such  poison?" 

"No." 

"Why   not?" 

"Because  in  her  state  of  mind  I  considered  it  un- 
wise that  she  should  have  any  such  drug  at  hand." 
Again  Coroner  Halsperg  paused  to  direct  a  signifi- 
cant glance  at  the  man  in  the  corner  behind  him. 
This  time  his  eye  carried  a  look  of  triumph,  as  if 
he  had  developed  testimony  that  furthered  his  own 
contention.  The  man  in  the  corner  met  his  eye,  now 
as  before  unmoved,  with  a  calm  inexpressive  look 
which  denied  that  he  considered  himself  the  target 
for  these  glances. 

43 


The  Alster  Case 


Coroner  Halsperg  seemed  to  take  no  offense.  He 
turned  back  good-naturedly  to  his  witness.  "I  shall 
only  require  you  a  few  minutes  longer,  Doctor,"  he 
stated.  He  drew  from  his  pocket  two  envelopes, 
one  containing  a  bulky  object.  "After  I  first  ap- 
peared here  this  morning,  and  at  my  direction,  you 
probed  for  the  bullet,  did  you  not?" 

"Yes." 

"Is  this  it?"  The  coroner  shoved  across  the  ta- 
ble the  smaller  envelope  of  the  two. 

Doctor  Hayden  reached  for  the  envelope,  in- 
spected his  signature  on  it,  unsealed  the  flap  and 
answered:  "Yes." 

"How  would  you  describe  that  bullet?" 

"Ordinary  .32  caliber,  I  should  say." 

"Yes.  And  this  was  the  direct  cause  unquestion- 
ably of  Miss  Alster's  death?" 

"Unquestionably." 

"And  this  was  the  pistol  we  found  on  the  floor 
by  her  feet?"  The  coroner  passed  the  other  en- 
velope across  the  table. 

After  examining  the  envelope  and  its  contents, 
Doctor  Hayden  admitted  as  much. 

Coroner  Halsperg  bent  toward  him.  "Now  im- 
mediately after  you  had  secured  the  bullet — this  .32 

44 


The  Alster  Case 


caliber  bullet — we  examined  the  pistol  together  and 
what  did  we  find  it  to  be?" 

"A  Savage  automatic  .32  equipped  with  a  Maxim 
silencer." 

"What  else?" 

"That  it  was  loaded  with  eight  cartridges  and 
that  the  action  was  fouled." 

"Indicating  that  at  least  one  shot  had  recently 
been  fired  from  it?" 

"Yes." 

"And  we  also  found  upon  the  floor  the  shell  from 
one  .32  caliber  bullet?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  this  bullet  that  you  extracted  from  Miss 
Alster's  brain  could  have  been  fired  from  this  pistol 
which  we  found  at  her  feet?" 

"Yes." 

"That  is  all."  Coroner  Halsperg  smiled.  "Oh, 
one  minute,  please,"  he  called  suddenly.  "I  forgot 
to  ask  you  anything  about  this  pistol.  Do  you  hap- 
pen to  know  from  your  own  knowledge  or  hearsay 
how  it  came  into  Miss  Alster's  possession?" 

"Yes,  I  purchased  it  for  her." 

"Ahl"  Coroner  Halsperg  seemed  surprised. 
"Recently?" 

45 


The  Alster  Case 


"About  a  month  ago." 

"Did  she  give  you  any  reason  why  she  wanted 
it?" 

"Yes,  for  protection  against  burglars.  It  was 
one  of  the  natural  symptoms  of  her  morbid  condi- 
tion that  one  day  she  should  talk  of  taking  her  life 
and  the  next  day  take  every  precaution  to  safe- 
guard it." 

"Where  did  she  keep  this  pistol?" 

"I  have  seen  it  a  number  of  times  lying  on  the 
top  of  the  dresser  in  her  bedroom.  I  don't  know 
— yes,  I  should  say  that  she  kept  it  there  most,  if 
not  all  the  time." 

"Did  she  give  you  any  reason  for  wanting  a  pistol 
equipped  with  a  Maxim  silencer?" 

"No,  but  I  understood.  She  was  in  a  highly 
nervous  condition.  I  took  for  granted  that  the  very 
idea  of  noise  of  any  kind  was  intolerable  to  her  and 
the  bare  thought  of  a  pistol  shot — well,  can't  you 
see  how  she  would  take  every  step  to  escape  such 
a  nerve-racking  sound  as  that?" 

"You  had  no  fear  at  all  that  she  might  want  this 
pistol  to  carry  out  her  fitful  intention  to  take  her 
own  life?" 

"No."  Doctor  Hayden  flushed  angrily.  "If  I 
46 


The  Alster  Case 


had  thought  that  I  never  should  have  secured  it  for 
her." 

"That  is  all,  Doctor  Hayden."  The  coroner 
turned  to  the  officer  seated  at  his  right.  "Now,  ser- 
geant, we  should  like  to  hear  from  that  locksmith," 
he  stated.  "I  don't  see  him  anywhere  about  the 
room." 

The  police  sergeant  rose,  went  over  and  whis- 
pered something  to  the  coroner,  who  seemed  dis- 
pleased, but  only  for  a  moment.  He  consulted  his 
watch. 

"Oh,  very  well,"  he  stated,  "in  that  case  I  think 
we'll  adjourn  this  inquest  for  luncheon.  We'll  meet 
again  at — well,  say  three  o'clock.  That  will  give 
us  time  to  get  the  locksmith  and  to  notify  the  ladies 
that  we  shall  require  their  testimony." 

Coroner  Halsperg  rose  and  there  was  a  general 
rising  and  movement  to  the  door  of  the  entire  assem- 
blage. As  I  entered  the  reception  room  at  the  front 
I  was  astonished  to  perceive  General  Alster  sitting 
there  on  a  divan  where  he  must  have  heard  all  the 
testimony  in  the  next  room  without  being  observed 
by  any  present.  Doctor  Hayden  was  seated  beside 
him  and  talking  animatedly  as  if  arguing  his  own 
belief  that  Miss  Alster  had  never  committed  sui- 

47 


The  Alster  Case 


cide.  I  could  not  forbear  passing  near  so  as  to  hear 
what  the  doctor  was  saying. 

"You  unquestionably  should  do  it,"  he  was  de- 
claring. "I  will  stake  my  professional  reputation 
that  the  police  will  never  solve  this  mystery.  Think, 
General,  the  patrolmen  are  chosen  for  their  height, 
weight,  and  physical  prowess  only;  if  they  possess 
any  mental  efficiency  it  is  purely  accidental ;  and  the 
detectives  are  recruited  from  such  a  fine  lot  of  ani- 
mals It  isn't  to  be  expected  that  they  will  have 
the  mental  fitness  or  intelligence  to " 

But  General  Alster's  eyes  had  fallen  on  me  as  I 
was  passing.  He  rose,  with  apologies,  and  held  out 
his  hand  to  me. 

"Mr.  Swan,  I  believe."  He  introduced  me  to 
Doctor  Hayden.  "As  the  man  who  I  have  just 
learned  will  have  the  deciding  power  you  should 
hear  what  the  doctor  has  to  say.  He  insists  that 
we  should  employ  a  private  detective  on  this 
case." 

The  doctor's  eyes  met  mine;  he,  about  to  renew 
his  argument,  I,  about  to  protest  at  undergoing  such 
a  needless  expense;  but  we  neither  of  us  found  op- 
portunity just  then  to  state  our  opinions,  for  Coro- 
ner Halsperg,  espying  General  Alster,  had  broken 

48 


The  Alster  Case 


through  the  crowd  to  shake  hands  with  him,  having 
evidently  caught  his  last  words. 

"General,"  he  interrupted  hotly,  "if  you  think  of 
wasting  your  money  putting  any  outside  men  on  this 
case  don't,  for  Heaven's  sake,  fall  into  the  clutches 
of  any  of  those  dead-and-alive  Hawkshaws.  They'll 
simply  soldier  along,  bleed  you  for  all  you'll  stand 
for,  and  in  the  end  have  nothing  whatever  to  show 
you.  There  are  only  a  few  good  detectives  among 
all  the  bad  lot  in  that  line.  Don't  go  it  blind.  Let 
me  suggest  one  to  you." 

General  Alster  nodded.  "Yes,  I  agree  with  you. 
But  there's  one  man  who,  if  one  can  believe  the 
newspapers,  seems  so  head  and  shoulders  above  all 
the  rest  that  there  appears  to  be  no  choice.  I  mean 


"You  mean  Trask,"  interrupted  Coroner  Hals- 
perg  confidently. 

"You  can't  mean  anyone  else,"  broke  in  Doctor 
Hayden. 

"Yes,"  assented  General  Alster,  "Trask  was  the 
man  I  had  in  mind,  but " 

"Shall  I  call  him?"  asked  Coroner  Halsperg, 
turning  sharply  away  from  us  to  look  over  the  out- 
going crowd. 

49 


The  Alster  Case 


"What!  Do  I  understand  he  is  here?"  exclaimed 
General  Alster. 

"Coroner,  you  aren't  having  fun  with  us?"  de- 
manded Doctor  Hayden. 

"Trask  here!"  My  own  astonishment  was  as  ir- 
repressible as  theirs. 

"He  was  here  a  few  minutes  ago,"  responded 
Coroner  Halsperg,  too  concerned  in  his  search  to 
pay  attention  to  our  bewilderment.  "Ah,  there  he 
is!  That  shortt  thickset  man  over  there  working 
toward  the  door  with  the  sergeant." 

We  all  turned  and  looked  with  silent  interest  at 
this  man  who  had  made  a  national  reputation  for 
himself  as  a  fathomer  of  subtle  crimes  and  a  run- 
ner-down of  the  adroitest  criminals. 

It  was  the  man  whom  Agnes  had  taken  for  a  real 
estate  buyer.  It  was  the  man  whom  I  had  taken 
first  for  a  business  man  and  then  for  the  coroner's 
assistant. 

"Oh,  I  noticed  him  at  the  inquest,  but "  Doc- 
tor Hayden  decided  against  publishing  his  disap- 
pointment at  the  famous  detective's  appearance. 

General  Alster  also  seemed  unimpressed.  "I — I 
don't  think  we  will  bother  to  speak  to  him,  not  just 
now,  anyway." 

50 


The  Alster  Case 


Coroner  Halsperg  smiled,  but  said  nothing. 

I  caught  the  drift  of  their  feelings  and  voiced 
my  own.  "Why,  he  looks  to  me  like  an  everyday 
sort  of  business  man — the  sort  you  see  thousands  of 
downtown — not  a  bit  like  a  detective,"  I  added. 

"Well,  that's  not  exactly  what  I  should  call  a 
handicap — not  for  a  detective,"  responded  Coroner 
Halsperg  dryly. 


IV 

THE  interim  between  sessions  General  Alster 
and  I  spent  mainly  in  the  room  on  the  third 
floor  where  the  girls  continued  to  seclude 
themselves.     Beatrice,  despite  our  protests,  ordered 
Agnes  to  bring  up  a  light  luncheon.    General  Alster 
nibbled  politely  at  it.     Beatrice  seemed  too  troubled 
to  eat.     I  made  only  a  pretense  of  playing  with  the 
food.     But  Linda,  after  first  scorning  them,  finally 
ate  quite  a  number  of  the  sandwiches  and  cakes  on 
the  tray. 

Though  there  were  no  further  differences  be- 
tween the  girls  such  as  I  had  witnessed,  they  still 
sedulously  avoided  addressing  each  other;  and  Gen- 
eral Alster's  attempts  to  divert  their  minds  and 
bring  them  together  in  general  conversation  failed 
utterly.  After  a  time  he  desisted  and  called  me  to 
the  other  end  of  the  room,  where  we  talked  over 
business  matters  in  a  low  tone.  He  appeared  to 
take  for  granted  that  I  should  at  once  take  charge 
of  everything — with  his  assistance,  however.  Young 
as  I  was  and  fresh  to  such  important  duties,  he 

52 


The  Alster  Case 


seemed  to  place  implicit  confidence  in  my  honesty, 
ability  and  judgment.  He  asked  me  about  the  terms 
of  the  will;  when  he  learned  that  I  was  named  as 
the  sole  executor,  he  pledged  his  aid  in  securing  the 
bond  required;  more  important  than  this,  he  re- 
lieved my  immediate  worry  by  agreeing  to  transfer 
to  me  the  following  morning  a  large  sum  of  money 
to  meet  expenses  until  the  will  should  be  probated 
and  I  would  be  empowered  to  collect  money  due 
the  estate.  Of  course  the  money  advanced  was 
to  be  repaid  to  him  later  from  the  estate,  but  this 
action  made  it  possible  for  me  to  cope  at  once  with 
those  demands  of  my  new  trust  for  which  my  own 
meager  resources  were  utterly,  not  to  say  patheti- 
cally, inadequate.  My  heart  lightened  at  his  con- 
fidence. I  told  him  as  much  warmly,  and  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  listen  humbly  to  all  his  suggestions 
and  to  deserve  his  faith  by  acting  on  them. 

If  he  were  conscious  at  this  early  stage  of  the 
strained  relations  between  the  two  girls  at  the  other 
end  of  that  same  room,  he  made  not  the  slightest 
reference  to  it.  He  could  hardly  have  missed  no- 
ticing their  moody  silence,  and  he  must  have  won- 
dered at  the  pointed  manner  in  which  Linda  ad- 
dressed only  us  two  men;  but  he  carefully  covered 

53 


The  Alster  Case 


this  with  his  own  conversation  and,  though  their 
obstinate  silence  made  the  time  drag,  we  were  finally 
all  summoned  downstairs  to  the  inquest. 

At  General  Alster's  suggestion  Beatrice  and 
Linda  seated  themselves  with  him  on  the  divan  in 
the  front  room  which  he  had  previously  occupied. 
There  was  room  only  for  him  and  the  two  girls. 
After  a  moment's  hesitation  I  left  them  and  went 
into  the  dining-room,  where  all  the  other  people  had 
gathered.  Coroner  Halsperg  was  just  taking  his 
place  at  the  further  end  of  the  dining-room  table. 
I  slipped  into  an  inconspicuous  seat  in  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  room  and  looked  interestedly  about 
for  Trask.  He  was  neither  in  the  seat  he  had  oc- 
cupied at  the  morning  session,  nor  elsewhere  in  that 
room  so  far  as  I  could  see.  Wondering  if  the  coro- 
ner could  have  informed  him  of  our  failure  to  be 
impressed  by  his  looks,  I  was  soon  deeply  interested 
in  the  testimony. 

The  session  was  full  of  surprises.  Coroner  Hals- 
perg opened  by  calling  for  the  locksmith.  He 
failed  to  rise.  Instead,  the  sergeant  of  police  drew 
near  and  appeared  to  be  proffering  excuses.  But 
these  evidently  failed  to  placate  the  wrath  of  the 
official  in  charge.  Coroner  Halsperg  grew  red  of 

54 


The  Alster  Case 


face  and  pounded  on  the  table  as  he  finally  yelled, 
"You  send  a  man  for  him.  You  bring  him  here  by 
the  scruff  of  his  neck,  if  necessary,"  he  ordered. 
And  the  sergeant,  making  the  best  of  the  situation 
with  a  surly  grin,  left  the  room  for  a  few  minutes, 
apparently  to  send  an  officer  for  the  strangely  recal- 
citrant witness. 

This  incident  affected  the  doughty  little  coroner 
beyond  all  apparent  reason.  I  have  always  noticed 
that  officials  in  the  lower  positions  are  quick  to  take 
offense  at  the  frustration  of  their  plans  or  the  slight- 
est questioning  of  their  authority.  At  any  rate, 
Coroner  Halsperg  seemed  in  a  fury  that  he  took  his 
time  to  control  before  starting  the  inquest  again; 
and  throughout  the  session  he  appeared  inclined  to 
take  out  his  anger  on  the  witnesses,  manifesting  at 
times  a  surly,  snapping  disposition  quite  the  reverse 
of  his  unruffled  bearing  earlier  in  the  day. 

I  was  called  as  the  first  witness  myself.  I  stum- 
bled awkwardly  to  my  place  a  little  white,  I  knew,  at 
feeling  all  eyes  on  me. 

At  the  coroner's  request  I  related  what  I  had 
seen  of  Miss  Alster  the  previous  night.  She  had  in- 
vited me  to  act  as  her  escort  to  the  opera.  I  reached 
the  house  at  eight;  we  left  together  within  five  or 

55 


The  Alster  Case 


ten  minutes,  arriving  in  her  box  after  the  curtain 
had  risen  on  the  first  act  of  "Tristan  und  Isolde." 
Soon  Miss  Alster  complained  of  not  feeling  well. 
Even  before  that  act  was  over  she  requested  me  to 
get  a  taxi  and  take  her  home.  I  secured  one.  Just 
before  it  was  about  to  turn  into  her  street  she  beat 
on  the  window  and  signed  for  the  chauffeur  to  draw 
up  to  the  curb.  She  explained  that  she  thought  she 
would  like  to  walk  the  rest  of  the  way  home.  It 
was  only  half  a  block.  She  seemed  unusually  silent, 
moody  and  nervous,  but  I  ascribed  it  to  her  indispo- 
sition. Going  up  the  steps  she  handed  me  her  latch- 
key and  I  observed  that  her  hands  trembled  no- 
ticeably. I  opened  the  door,  she  passed  in  without 
inviting  me  to  come  also,  so  I  returned  the  key  and 
closed  the  door  between  us.  My  last  sight  of  her 
was  as  she  hurried  away  upstairs.  Then  I  walked 
to  the  corner  and  took  a  Madison  Avenue  car  to  my 
boarding  house. 

"That's  all."  The  coroner  did  not  ask  me  a  ques- 
tion. He  merely  waved  me  disdainfully  back  to  my 
seat. 

Miss  Alster  had  managed  to  get  along  with  but 
three  servants  by  securing  unusually  efficient  ones 
and  paying  them  wages  above  the  average.  Alice, 

56 


The  Alster  Case 


the  fat,  good-natured  colored  cook,  followed  me 
as  a  witness.  The  coroner  waved  her  aside  as  soon 
as  she  had  told  her  story,  just  as  he  had  me.  In 
Agnes,  however,  he  appeared  to  perceive  a  foe 
worthy  of  his  mood.  He  plied  her  with  questions 
about  Keith,  the  missing  butler. 

"You  say  he  must  have  left  the  house  sometime 
early  in  the  evening — how  do  you  know  that?"  he 
demanded. 

"Because  I  never  saw  him  after  he  went  upstairs, 
and  this  morning  we  found  his  bed  had  not  been 
slept  in." 

"You  have  testified  that  Keith  went  upstairs 
about  eight,  that  the  cook  followed  at  quarter  past 
eight,  and  that  you  went  up  ten  or  fifteen  minutes 
later.  Now,  when  you  went  upstairs  where  were 
all  the  other  people  in  the  house?" 

"I  don't  know." 

"What?  No  lights  in  any  of  the  rooms  or  sounds 
to  tell  you  where  the  other  three  or  four  people 
were?" 

"Well,  there  was  someone  in  the  library." 

"That  is  the  large  room  directly  in  front  of  the 
room  where  your  mistress's  body  was  found  this 


morning?' 


57 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes,  sir." 

"How  do  you  know  there  was  someone  in  that 
room?" 

"By  the  light  and  because  someone  was  playing 
softly  on  the  piano  there." 

The  coroner  seemed  to  perceive  by  the  manner 
in  which  she  snapped  back  this  answer  that  he  was 
on  the  trail  of  information  that  she  was  reluctant 
to  give.  "For  no  other  reasons?"  he  demanded 
sharply. 

"Well,  I  thought  I  heard  two  people  talking  in 
there  but — but  I  guess  I  didn't,"  Agnes  stammered. 

"What  makes  you  think  you  didn't?" 

"Because  the  voices  stopped  the  minute  I  started 
up  the  first  flight  and,  anyway,  one  of  the  voices 
sounded  like  a  man's." 

"Ah,  the  voices  stopped  and  someone  began  to 
play  softly?"  The  coroner  waited  until  she  nodded 
assent.  "Did  you  look  into  the  library  as  you 
passed  to  see  who  was  there?" 

"No,  I'll  have  you  understand  I'm  no  spy." 

"No."  Coroner  Halsperg  lost  some  of  his  own 
anger  at  hers.  He  went  on  more  suavely.  "But 
-who  must  have  been  in  that  room  at  that  time?" 

"I  told  you  I  didn't  know." 
58 


The  Alster  Case 


"Someone  was  playing  the  piano — do  both  the 
young  ladies  play  the  piano?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"And  you  couldn't  tell  by  that  which  one  of 
them  it  may  have  been?" 

"No,  sir."  Agnes  had  regained  her  former  com- 
posure. 

"Very  well.  But  you  thought  you  heard  a  man's 
voice.  Couldn't  that  have  been  Keith's?" 

"No,  sir."  Agnes's  contempt  bristled.  "Miss 
Beatrice  would  never  stand  for  having  that  man  in 
the  room  with  her." 

"Oh,  so  it  was  Miss  Beatrice  who  was  in  that 
room  playing  the  piano?" 

"Well "  Agnes  paused  in  confusion,  "well,  it 

may  or  may  not  have  been.  I'm  not  saying.  Sure 
she's  a  lady  and  has  nothing  to  hide  from  you.  She'll 
tell  you  if  she  was." 

"Doubtless,  but  aren't  you  aware  that  you  are 
giving  things  a  bad  look  by  not  telling  us  frankly 
what  you  saw  and  heard  and  thought?" 

"That's  my  fault,  not  hers.  And  I'm  not  that 
used  to  answering  a  blundering  Dutchman's  ques- 
tions to  have  the  right  word  ever  on  the  tip  of  my 
tongue." 

I  T.  HOPKINS 


The  Alster  Case 


"Well,  forget  that  I'm  a  Dutchman — and  that 
you're  Irish,"  retorted  the  coroner  testily.  He 
frowned  heavily.  "And  no  more  of  this  equivoca- 
tion or "  he  pointed  threateningly  toward  the 

sergeant  of  police  who  had  returned  to  his  side. 
"Do  you  understand?" 

Agnes  blew  her  nose  to  hide  her  tears  and 
nodded. 

Coroner  Halsperg  allowed  her  a  few  minutes  to 
recover  control,  then  went  on.  "Those  were  the 
only  lights  or  sounds  you  noticed  in  any  of  the  rooms 
on  the  first  or  second  floors?" 

"Yes,  sir,"   answered  Agnes  meekly. 

"And  your  own  room  is  on  the  fourth  floor?" 

"Yes,   sir." 

"Did  you  observe  any  lights  or  sounds  indicating 
that  any  of  the  other  rooms  were  occupied  as  you 
went  up?" 

"There  was  a  light  showing  under  the  door  of 
Miss  Linda's  room." 

"Then  Miss  Linda  may  have  been  in  her  own 
room  last  night  about  half  past  eight?" 

"Yes,  sir,  that  is,  unless " 

But  the  coroner  interrupted  her  ruthlessly. 
"Never  mind  about  that.  Miss  Beatrice's  room  is 

60 


The  Alster  Case 


on  that  same  floor,  isn't  it?    Was  there  any  light  in 
her  room?" 

"No,  sir."  Agnes  looked  behind  as  if  she  feared 
the  admission  might  be  a  dangerous  one. 

"And  on  your  own  floor — what  lights  or  sounds 
did  you  notice  there?" 

Agnes  palpably  took  a  long  still  breath  of  re- 
lief. "There  was  a  light  under  the  door  of  the 
cook's  room,  that  was  all." 

"You  saw  no  light,  nor  heard  any  sound  from 
Keith's  room  on  that  floor?" 

"No,  sir,  not  a  suspicion  of  one." 

The  coroner  maintained  a  long  silence  while  he 
thought,  his  eyes  dwelling  on  everyone  except  the 
witness.  Agnes  grew  restive  under  it.  "Is  that  all, 
sir?"  she  asked  hopefully  at  last. 

"No.    Goon." 

"What  more  can  I  tell  you,  sir?"  Agnes  eyed 
him  with  alarm. 

Coroner  Halsperg  squared  round  toward  her. 
His  voice  became  severe.  "Everything.  I  want 
you  to  tell  me  everything  else  you  saw  and  heard 
last  night.  Is  there  any  reason  why  you  don't  want 
to  do  that?" 

"N-o,  sir." 

61 


The  Alster  Case 


"Well,  go  on." 

Agnes  wiped  her  eyes.  Her  voice  trembled  a 
little  at  first  as  she  continued.  "Well,  I  went  to 
my  room — and  I  was  that  tired  I  got  ready  to  go 
to  bed  at  once — and — and  just  as  I  was  putting  out 
the  light  I  thought  I  heard  voices  again,  only  this 
time  they  seemed  to  come  from  the  room  under 
me." 

"From  Miss  Linda's  room?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Man's  voice  this  time,  too?" 

"I — I  thought  as  one  was." 

"Whose  man's  voice  was  it  you  thought  you 
heard?" 

"I  don't  know,  sir."  Agnes's  response  was  quick 
and  meek. 

"Was  it  the  same  man's  voice  you  thought  you 
heard  before?" 

"I  don't  know,  sir." 

"Could  you  distinguish  any  of  the  words?" 

"No,  sir,  just  a  dull  sort  of  a  mumble." 

"And  the  other  voice  was  a  woman's?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"And  you  heard  them  through  your  closed  door 
and  the  thick  floor?" 

62 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes,  sir — they  seemed  to  be  quarreling." 
"Well,  what  did  you  do  about  it?" 
Agnes   seemed  to  be  taken  aback  by  the  impli- 
cation   that    she    ought    to    have    done    something. 
"Why — I — I  just  put  out  the  light  and  got  into 
bed." 

"You  weren't  curious  or  interested?" 
"No,  sir,  I  thought  it  was  none  of  my  business." 
"Well,  go  on.    Did  the  sounds  keep  up  ?" 
"Yes,  sir,  but  I  was  that  tired  I  fell  asleep." 
"Go  on." 

Agnes  stiffened  perceptibly;  again  she  looked  be- 
hind, this  time  as  if  imploring  help;  and,  though 
her  lips  trembled,  she  said  nothing. 

"Go  on,"  ordered  the  coroner  implacably. 
"Well,"  Agnes  sighed  deeply,  "I  couldn't  have 
been  asleep  long  before  I  was  waked  by  a  sound  as 
if  somebody  was  running  upstairs.  There  seemed 
to  be  two  of  them  and  they  stopped  somewheres 
on  the  floor  below.  Then  I  heard  the  front  door 
close  and  somebody  else  come  running  up  two 
flights.  Then  there  was  hot  words  in  the  hall  on  the 
floor  below  me  and  the  voice  I  heard  sounded  like 
mistress's." 

"You  mean  like  the  late  Miss  Cornelia  Alster's?" 
63 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes,  sir.  She  seemed  very  angry.  I  lay  for  a 
time  listening,  but  I  couldn't  make  out  a  word.  Then 
I  got  to  thinking  she  must  be  in  one  of  her  crazy 
fits  again  and  perhaps  the  young  ladies  might  need 
help." 

"Yes — well?"  The  coroner  wearied  of  her  long 
pause. 

"At  last  I  got  up,  went  out  in  the  hall  just  as 
quietly  as  I  could,  and  looked  down  over  the  ban- 
ister." 

"What  did  you  see?" 

"Nothing,  except  the  mistress  running  back  down- 
stairs again  toward  her  own  room." 

"You  saw  or  heard  no  one  else  whatever?" 

"No,  sir,  not  a  living  soul  or  sound." 

"Then  what  did  you  do?" 

"I  went  back  to  bed  again." 

"Why?" 

"Because,  quiet-like  as  I  was,  the  mistress  must 
have  heard  me.  She  looked  up  and  caught  me  peek- 
ing down,  and  the  look  she  gave  me  was  that  angry 
and  fierce-like  that  I  went  about  my  business." 

"Hem  I"  The  coroner  seemed  to  be  convinced 
that  she  was  telling  the  truth.  "What  time  was 
this?"  he  asked  after  a  pause. 

64 


The  Alster  Case 


"I  don't  know,  sir.  I  had  been  asleep  and  I  didn't 
dare  turn  on  my  light  again  after  the  look  the  mis- 
tress gave  me." 

"And  there  were  no  sounds  nor  anything  that 
would  give  you  a  clew  to  the  time?" 

"No,  sir — oh,  yes,  sir.  When  I  first  woke  up 
I  thought  I  heard  the  old  hall  clock  down  here 
striking  the  hour,  but  I  don't  know  what  hour  it 
was." 

"No."  Coroner  Halsperg  considered.  "First 
you  heard  two  people  running  upstairs  to  the  floor 
on  which  the  young  ladies  live,  then  you  heard  the 
front  door  close,  then  you  heard  someone  else — 
one  person  this  time — running  up  the  two  flights 
to  the  same  floor — is  that  right?" 

"Yes,  sir,  only  this  last  one  stopped  for  a  time 
on  the  second  floor  and  then  came  running  up  the 
other  flight." 

"If  this  was  your  mistress  then,  she  may  have 
stopped  at  either  her  own  room  or  the  library  on 
that  floor?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"You  couldn't  tell  by  the  sounds  at  which?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Very  well,  then,  when  you  heard  her  talking 
65 


The  Alster  Case 


loudly  on  the  floor  below,  whose  voice  was  it  you 
heard  answering  her?" 

"No  one,  sir,  I  told  you  that." 

"Yes,  so  you  did."  Coroner  Halsperg  pretended 
to  recall  the  fact.  "But  where  did  her  voice  sound 
as  if  she  were  standing  on  the  floor  below?" 

"In  the  hall,  sir." 

"Yes,  yes,  but  what  part  of  the  hall?  The  front 
or  the  back  of  the  hall?" 

"I  couldn't  tell,  sir." 

"Did  it  sound  as  if  she  were  near  Miss  Beatrice's 
or  Miss  Linda's  room?" 

"I  couldn't  tell,  sir,  my  door  was  closed." 

"Of  course  not."  Coroner  Halsperg  smiled  in- 
gratiatingly. "And  when  you  ran  out  to  go  to  the 
help  of  the  young  ladies  you  didn't  see  either  of 
them.  Yes,  I  recall  that.  But  I  forget  which  of 
their  doors  you  saw  open  and  the  light  coming 
through.  Which  of  the  young  ladies'  doors  did  you 
say  that  was?" 

But  evidently  Agnes  was  keeping  nothing  back 
now  and  hence  was  not  to  be  trapped.  She  looked 
at  the  coroner  with  a  surprise  too  natural  to  have 
been  put  on.  "I  didn't  see  any  open  door  or  light, 
sir.  The  hall  below  was  dark.  I  didn't  see  any- 

66 


The  Alster  Case 


one  but  her.     On  my  sainted  mother,  I  can't  help 
you  to  find  who  it  was  she  was  quarreling  with." 

And  Coroner  Halsperg  after  a  long  look  at  her 
gave  up  cross-examining  her  further. 


I  WAS  deeply  in  love  with  Beatrice  Alster.  It 
was  true  that  I  had  seen  her  no  more  than 
half  a  dozen  times  and  always  accidentally, 
when  her  aunt  had  called  me  to  the  house 
for  consultation,  but  she  was  the  first  girl  who 
had  ever  caught  my  eye  for  more  than  a  moment, 
the  first  girl  who  had  ever  caused  me  that 
sudden  reaching  out  of  heart  and  hope  that  can 
be  given  no  other  name.  I  was  deeply  in 
love  with  her,  and  the  wide  difference  between 
our  stations  in  life  made  me  an  arrant  coward  about 
showing  in  the  slightest  way  the  nature  of  my  feel- 
ings. One  of  my  greatest  hopes  had  been  that  the 
sudden  elevation  of  my  new  position  would  place 
me  on  a  footing  where  I  should  feel  free  to  begin 
to  show  her  my  feeling,  but  as  yet  it  had  served  only 
to  increase  my  fears.  The  ominous  character  of 
Agnes's  testimony  sent  my  heart  up  into  my  throat. 
I  shivered  as  Agnes  ended  and  I  realized  that  Be- 
atrice might  be  the  next  one  to  face  the  /coroner's 
cruel,  subtle,  entangling  examination. 

68 


The  Alster  Case 


My  heart  jumped  painfully  and  beat  fast  as  Cor- 
oner Halsperg  after  a  dramatic  pause  drew  his 
chair  raspingly  a  little  nearer  the  table,  sat  up  rig- 
idly and  called  her  name.  I  felt  the  ruthlessness  of 
his  determination  to  batter  down  her  reserve,  to 
intrude  upon  any  intimacies  of  thought  or  feeling 
that  she  might  instinctively  wish  to  keep  from  public 
view.  And  it  was  as  if  she  herself  dreaded  the 
very  same  things.  At  his  call  she  came  slowly,  re- 
luctantly Into  the  room,  her  tall  straight  young  figure 
swaying  timidly,  a  strange  pallor  on  her  long  oval 
face,  a  humble,  imploring  look  in  her  velvety  brown 
eyes,  but  her  lips  set  firmly.  I  have  often  thought 
that  our  mouths  are  the  only  features  that  we  shape 
for  ourselves,  that  we  form  by  our  inner  feelings 
and  by  our  disposition  toward  others.  Her  mouth 
— not  that  I  can  describe  it  satisfactorily  in 
words — had  always  had  a  peculiarly  soft  and  lovely 
expression  to  it,  one  that  had  belied  the  something 
like  distance  her  beauty  and  reserve  had  invested  her 
with,  a  gentleness,  a  kindliness,  perhaps,  from  which 
I  took  hope.  But  that  inviting  fullness  of  her  red 
lips  and  the  upward  curve  of  the  corners  were  gone 
as  she  faced  the  coroner.  Her  lips  were  indrawn, 
her  mouth  ran  almost  like  a  straight  line  across  her 

69 


The  Alster  Case 


face  as  if  here  in  battle  line  she  had  drawn  up  all 
her  resolution  to  face  her  inquisitor. 

Coroner  Halsperg  was  quick  to  observe  this  de- 
termination on  her  part  and  to  take  challenge  from 
it.  His  small,  buried  eyes  narrowed.  He  sat  on 
the  other  side  of  the  table  silent,  spearing  her  with 
a  hard  look,  letting  her  stand  unquestioned  as  if 
he  knew  that  there  is  nothing  like  waiting  for  the 
issue  to  weaken  the  nerve  for  it.  For  what  seemed 
like  hours  they  remained  staring  at  each  other,  at 
least  two  of  us  in  that  room  suffering  untold  agonies, 
then  I  saw  the  coroner's  eyes  veer  as  at  a  sign.  I 
followed  them.  General  Alster  had  drawn  the  di- 
van on  which  he  and  Linda  sat  into  the  opening  be- 
tween the  two  rooms.  His  eyes  were  directed  on 
the  coroner;  for  one  minute  they  just  slipped  from 
him  to  Beatrice,  then  back  again  to  the  coroner. 
That  look  might  have  meant  anything  to  others,  but 
apparently  it  meant  only  one  thing  to  Coroner  Hals- 
perg. He  coughed,  seemed  disconcerted  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  slumped  back  easily  in  his  chair  and  the 
hard  look  left  his  face.  His  "Now,  Miss  Alster, 
if  you  will  kindly  tell  us  everything  about  last  night 
that  we  ought  to  know,  I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  to 
you,"  was  almost  fawning. 

70 


The  Alster  Case 


Beatrice  started,  her  cheeks  flushed  and  for  a  mo- 
ment she  stared  at  him  uncertainly,  but  before  she 
began  the  lovely  look  snuggled  back  again  about 
her  mouth. 

"My  aunt — she  is  really  a  much  more  distant  re- 
lation, but  she  has  always  wanted  me  to  call  her  that 
— left  us  soon  after  eight  o'clock  to  attend  the  opera 
with  Mr.  Swan,"  she  began  in  a  low  voice.  "I  had 
been  out  all  the  afternoon  making  calls  and  was 
feeling  so  fatigued  that  I  went  upstairs  even  be- 
fore she  left,  intending  to  retire  early.  I  made  the 
mistake  of  stopping  in  the  library,  where  I  picked 
up  a  book.  It  wasn't  very  interesting,  but  my  seat 
was  so  comfortable  that  I  lingered  on,  skipping  over 
its  pages.  I  heard  Mr.  Swan  arrive  and  leave  for 
the  opera  with  my  aunt;  I  heard  first  the  cook  and 
then  Agnes  come  upstairs ;  then  I  put  my  book  aside, 
played  on  the  piano  for  a  few  minutes  and  went  up 
to  my  room.  I  am  sorry — I  am  very  sorry,  but  I 
fear  this  is  all  I  can  tell  you.  The  terrible  thing 
that  happened  to  my  aunt  sometime  in  the  night  I 

was  not  aware  of  until "  her  voice  broke  and 

she  paused  for  a  moment — "until  this  morning. 
And — and  others  have  told  you  enough  about  that, 
haven't  they?" 

71 


The  Alster  Case 


Coroner  Halsperg  nodded.  "Would  you  mind  if 
I  asked  you  a  few  necessary  questions?"  he  asked 
after  a  pause. 

"No."  But  her  slim  young  figure  stiffened  ever 
so  little. 

"You  were  the  lady  in  the  library  playing  the 
piano  when  the  maid  went  up  to  her  room?" 

"Yes." 

"You  were  alone?" 

"Yes." 

"You  heard  her  testify  that  she  thought  she  heard 
a  man's  voice  in  that  room  as  she  started  up  the 
stairs?" 

"Yes." 

"You  desire  to  contradict  that  testimony?" 

"Yes." 

"Can  you  account  in  any  way  for  that  idea,  no- 
tion, belief  or  whatever  you  want  to  call  it  on  her 
part?" 

"No,  unless " 

"Unless  what?  We  should  be  very  glad  to 
have  the  aid  of  any  explanation." 

"Unless — unless  she  absolutely  imagined  it." 

Coroner  Halsperg  seemed  grieved.  He  waited  a 
few  moments,  alternately  looking  at  her  and  then 

72 


The  Alster  Case 


at  his  notes  which  he  shifted  uneasily  about  before 
him  on  the  table.  At  last  he  pushed  on. 

"Miss  Alster's  other  niece,  Miss  Linda,  she  was 
not  in  the  library  with  you  at  that  time?" 

"No." 

"Can  you  tell  us  where  she  was?" 

"She  went  upstairs  before  I  did,  directly  to  her 
room." 

"Alone?" 

"Yes." 

The  coroner  lifted  his  eyebrows  and  paused  an- 
other moment,  but  again  went  on,  imperturbable, 
good-natured.  "You  say  you  heard  the  cook  and 
the  maid  go  upstairs  to  their  rooms — did  you  hear 
the  butler,  Keith?" 

"No." 

"Or  come  down?" 

"No." 

"You  heard  or  saw  nothing  of  him  that  night?" 

"Not "  Beatrice  hesitated,  her  eyes  for  the 

first  time  dropped  before  those  of  her  inquisitor — 
"not  after  leaving  the  dining-room,"  she  finished 
firmly. 

"Why "  but  the  coroner  refrained  from  ask- 
ing her  why  she  hesitated  as  he  had  in  the  case  of 

73 


The  Alster  Case 


Agnes.  Instead  he  shuffled  his  papers  a  moment,  the 
while  he  made  up  his  mind  as  to  his  next  question. 
"Can  you  tell  us  at  what  time  or  about  what  time 
you  went  upstairs  from  the  library  to  your  own 
room?" 

"At  about  nine  o'clock,  I  think." 

"You  went  upstairs  alone?" 

"Yes." 

"There  was  no  one  else  on  the  stairs  with  you  at 
that  time?" 

"No." 

The  coroner  looked  baffled.  "You  heard  the 
maid  say  she  heard  two  people  going  up  those 
stairs  at  that  time?" 

"Yes." 

"But  you  say  you  were  alone?" 

"Yes." 

"Can  you  tell  us  of  any  other  movements  or 
sounds  that  would  have  led  her  to  believe  there 
were  two?" 

"I  cannot." 

Coroner  Halsperg  shook  his  head;  his  eyes  roved 
to  General  Alster's;  he  sighed  before  he  continued: 

"You  yourself  heard  no  man's  voice  on  your 
floor,  on  the  floor  above,  or  in  any  part  of  this 

74 


The  Alster  Case 


house  after  your  aunt  had  departed  with  Mr. 
Swan?" 

"No." 

"Was  the  maid  wrong  also  about  your  aunt  com- 
ing up  to  your  floor  after  she  arrived  home  and 
talking  to  someone  unknown  in  the  hall?" 

"No.     She  was  right  about  that." 

"Ah!"  Coroner  Halsperg  breathed  a  sigh  of 
relief  and  straightened  up.  "With  whom  was  she 
talking?" 

"With  me." 

"With  you !"  The  coroner's  astonishment  voiced 
that  of  everyone  else  in  the  room.  "You  and  your 
aunt  were  alone  in  the  hall  together?"  he  asked  as 
soon  as  he  recovered. 

"Yes." 

"You  talked  together  for  some  time?" 

"No,  only  for  a  few  minutes." 

"Your  aunt's  voice  was  raised?" 

"Y-es."  Beatrice's  voice  trembled  a  little,  but  the 
firm  look  began  to  reappear  about  her  mouth  as 
if  she  realized  where  his  questions  were  leading. 

"It  was  raised  sufficiently  to  make  others  believe 
that  you  might  be  quarreling?" 

"Yes."     Beatrice  dropped  her  eyes  again. 

75 


The  Alster  Case 


"Can  you  tell  us,  please,  what  the  quarrel  was 
about?" 

"No."  Beatrice's  lips  were  a  thin,  firm  line  again 
and  she  looked  the  coroner  straight  in  the  eye. 

"Why  not?"  The  question  came  from  the  cor- 
oner's lips  quick  as  a  shot;  habit  had  got  the  better 
of  him. 

Beatrice  quivered  at  its  sharpness,  she  quailed  a 
moment  before  the  sternness  of  his  look,  then  her 
hand  went  to  her  heart  and  her  voice  broke.  "Be- 
cause— because  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  this  in- 
quiry— because  it  was  over  something  personal  and 
intimate  between  me  and  my  aunt — because  no  one 
on  this  earth  has  a  right  to  ask  me  that  question — 
because " 

I  was  too  late.  She  swayed  on  her  feet.  I  rose, 
but  before  I  could  get  to  her,  General  Alster  was 
at  her  side,  had  taken  one  of  her  arms  in  his  and 
was  steadying  her  with  the  other. 

For  a  moment  naught  was  heard  except  the 
words  of  comfort  being  whispered  into  her  ear  by 
the  white-haired,  agitated  military  man  at  her  side. 
Everyone  else  stared  and  gaped  at  them  appalled. 
Then  General  Alster  looked  toward  the  coro- 
ner. 

76 


The  Alster  Case 


"Will  it  be  necessary  to  ask  this  young  woman 
any  more  questions?"  he  demanded  sternly. 

Coroner  Halsperg  winced.  "No,  not  unless  the 
jury  feel  the  need  of  asking  her  some,"  he  replied, 
looking  at  them  and  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

All  eyes  turned  toward  the  jury.  Their  eyes  were 
on  Beatrice  and  I  thought  I  saw  sympathy  for  her 
in  all  of  them.  They  seemed  to  be  ashamed  to  be 
caught  manifesting  such  feeling.  They  stirred  un- 
comfortably; they  began  to  nudge  each  other;  then 
one  after  another  they  silently  shook  their  heads. 
General  Alster  led  Beatrice  into  the  next  room  and 
I  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  so  deep  that  I  wondered 
why  it  did  not  draw  attention  to  me.  I  looked 
nervously  about.  I  was  relieved  to  find  that  nobody 
noticed  it. 

General  Alster  returned  to  his  seat  beside  Linda 
within  a  few  minutes.  Alarmed  that  he  should  have 
left  Beatrice  alone,  I  rose  from  my  seat  and  moved 
over  to  the  door  between  the  rooms  to  offer  her 
my  company.  In  the  reception  room  in  front  she 
sat  in  one  of  the  great  chairs,  her  eyes  tearless, 
staring  hard  at  the  floor,  but  apparently  not  de- 
siring the  companionship  even  of  the  man  bending 
toward  her.  I  waited  until  I  made  out  who  it  was. 

77 


The  Alster  Case 


It  was  Trask.  He  was  evidently  attempting  to  con- 
sole her.  I  thought  better  of  him  as  I  returned 
to  my  seat. 

It  may  have  been  my  prejudice  against  her  be- 
cause she  had  not  flown  to  the  aid  of  Beatrice;  it 
may  have  been  because,  after  tragic  moments,  our 
natures  force  a  light,  trivial  or  comic  aspect  on  the 
next  ones,  I  don't  know  which,  but  to  this  day  I 
recall  the  appearance  of  Linda  on  the  stand  as 
something  trifling,  careless,  almost  contemptuous. 
With  her  short,  well-rounded  figure,  her  blue  eyes 
and  flaxen  hair,  she  was  of  the  type  that  most  men 
find  captivating,  but  never  I.  She  was  a  born 
coquette  if  I  ever  saw  one,  and  she  made  use  of  all 
her  arts  to  escape  the  ordeal  through  which  Beatrice 
had  just  been.  Perhaps  Coroner  Halsperg  fell  be- 
fore them,  as  it  was  obvious  that  all  the  others  in 
the  room  did,  except  me;  perhaps,  after  the  experi- 
ence he  had  just  had,  Coroner  Halsperg  was  loath 
to  face  just  such  another  one;  at  any  rate,  he  al- 
lowed Linda  to  tell  her  own  story  and  he  asked  her 
but  few  questions. 

Linda  stated  that  she  went  to  her  room  immedi- 
ately after  dinner  and  did  not  leave  it  until  the  next 
morning.  She  had  been  reading  one  of  the  ro- 

78 


The  Alster  Case 


mantic  best  sellers  just  secured  from  the  Fiction 
Library,  and  she  declared  that  she  had  heard  none 
of  the  sounds  mentioned  by  the  others.  Not  until 
the  coroner  questioned  her  definitely  on  that  point, 
did  she  admit  that  she  was  conscious  even  of  her 
aunt's  visit  to  their  floor  after  her  return  from  the 
opera,  and  her  information  upon  this  was  slight. 
She  had  noticed  that  her  aunt  had  come  upstairs 
and  was  evidently  having  words  with  someone,  but 
apparently  her  novel  had  interested  her  much  more 
than  the  excitement  just  outside  her  door.  She  had 
not  even  risen  to  open  it.  From  her  account,  she 
had  not  left  her  room  after  she  had  once  gone  up 
to  it  until  the  next  morning. 

"And  you  saw  nothing  of  Keith,  the  butler,  that 
night?"  inquired  the  coroner  with  a  smile. 

"I  saw  nothing  of  Keith  after  I  left  the  dining- 
room,"  she  replied  promptly. 

"Nor  heard  anything  of  him?" 

"I  suppose  it  was  perfectly  dreadful  of  me  to 
be  so  interested  in  a  novel,"  she  answered  with 
a  coquettish  little  flick  of  her  head  to  one  side, 
"but  really  and  truly  I  didn't  hear  anyone,  not 
the  tiniest  sound  after  I  once  shut  myself  up  in  my 


room." 


79 


The  Alster  Case 


"Not  the  sound  of  any  man's  voice?"  asked  the 
coroner  with  a  lightness  provoked  by  hers. 

"I  am  sure  I  should  have  heard  one  if  there  had 
been  one,"  she  returned  with  a  glance. 

The  coroner  let  her  off  smilingly,  without  further 
questions.  But  the  light  look  left  his  face  as  he 
returned  to  his  papers.  He  frowned;  he  scraped 
back  his  chair  noisily  upon  the  floor  and  consulted 
his  watch. 

"Sergeant,"  he  exclaimed,  "you'll  be  walking  the 
pavements  again  if  that  locksmith  isn't  here  within 
five  minutes.  He's  the  only  witness  remaining  to 
be  examined,  and  I  told  you  to  have  him  here  by 
three  o'clock.  Five  minutes,  or  a  call  to  headquar- 
ters for  you!"  He  announced  aggressively. 

The  sergeant  sprang  to  his  feet.  "It  isn't  my 
fault,  coroner,"  he  declared  surlily,  but  he  hurried 
out  of  the  room. 

He  must  have  encountered  his  subordinate  with 
the  locksmith  at  the  door,  for  it  seemed  barely  a 
moment  before  the  locksmith  was  brought  into  the 
room  with  a  policeman  on  either  side  of  him. 

The  locksmith  was  a  short,  frail  little  man  with 
glittering  shoe-button  eyes.  He  had  thick,  matted 
black  hair  and  a  scraggly  dark  beard;  he  had  evi- 

80 


The  Alster  Case 


dently  been  drinking,  for  he  was  heedless  of  the 
delay  he  had  occasioned. 

"Here,  you — you  nearly  cost  me  a  call  to  head- 
quarters by  overstaying  your  leave.  Now  suppose 
you  set  me  right  with  the  coroner,"  whispered  the 
sergeant,  giving  him  a  furtive  shove. 

But  the  locksmith  took  no  offense  at  his  rough 
treatment;  he  merely  grinned  placidly  into  the  angry 
eyes  of  the  coroner  and  raised  his  hand  with  a  move- 
ment that  was  intended  to  be  impressive,  but  which 
because  of  his  diminutive  aspect  was  essentially 
ludicrous. 

"Well,  what  have  you  got  to  say  for  yourself?" 
snapped  Coroner  Halsperg. 

"It's  a  boy,  coroner."  Again  that  impressive, 
ludicrous  gesture. 

"What!" 

The  locksmith  straightened  himself  up  to  all  his 
five  feet  one;  he  met  the  coroner's  baleful  gaze  with 
a  little  less  assurance,  yet  enough.  "I — I  say  it's 
a  boy,"  he  repeated;  and  then,  as  the  coroner  still 
stared  at  him,  "my  wife — I  couldn't  leave  her  at 
the  hospital  any  sooner.  It  isn't  their  fault;  it  isn't 
mine;  and  anyway,  it's  a  boy  I" 

The  coroner  had  to  rap  on  the  table  to  quell  the 

81 


The  Alster  Case 


titters  that  went  around  the  room.  He  managed  to 
keep  his  own  face  grave,  but  there  was  a  twinkle 
in  his  eyes  as  he  glared  at  the  proud  little  father. 

"Well,  if  it  had  been  a  girl,  I  don't  know  what 
we'd  have  done  to  you,"  he  growled,  and  had  to 
silence  more  amusement  in  the  jury.  "Hurry  up, 
now,  and  tell  us  your  story,"  he  directed,  as  soon 
as  he  had  restored  order.  He  evidently  expected 
no  evidence  of  further  importance,  for  he  began 
to  gather  up  his  papers. 

But  the  little  locksmith,  instead  of  beginning  to 
tell  what  had  happened  when  he  came  to  the  house 
that  morning,  became  busy  searching  through  his 
pockets,  and  his  manner  was  troubled. 

"I  know  I  oughter've  told  some  of  you  about 
this,"  he  mumbled,  "but  I  was  so  excited.  I  hope 
you  won't  hold  it  up  against  me."  With  a  wrench 
he  finally  extricated  what  he  was  searching  for  from 
one  of  his  pockets  and  pushed  it  timidly  across  the 
table  toward  the  coroner. 

It  was  a  key. 

"What's  this?"  demanded  the  coroner. 

"It's  the  key,  the  key  to  the  room  where  the  body 
was  found,"  replied  the  locksmith  shrinkingly.  "I 
know  I  oughter've  given  it  up  or  spoken  about  it 

82 


The  Alster  Case 


before  leaving,  but  I  was  so  excited — I  hope  you 
won't  be  too  hard  on  me  for  it,  Coroner." 

Coroner  Halsperg  reached  half  way  across  the 
table  toward  the  key,  then  suddenly  he  allowed  it 
to  lie  where  it  was  and  straightened  up.  "But — 
but  I  thought  you  had  to  pick  the  lock  to  get  into 
that  room,"  he  stormed. 

"I  did— I  did!" 

"Then  where  in  the  devil  did  you  get  this  key?" 

The  little  locksmith  seemed  to  realize  for  the 
first  time  that  his  part  in  these  proceedings  was  of 
even  more  dramatic  consequence  than  he  had  feared. 
His  face  became  sober;  he  bent  across  the  table 
toward  the  coroner.  "There  wasn't  any  key  in  the 
lock  of  that  door  when  I  picked  it,"  he  declared 
In  a  voice  so  excited  that  it  squeaked.  "There 
wasn't  any  key  on  the  floor  inside  or  out.  I  know 
that  because  I  looked.  But  after  we  had  put  the 
four  women  out,  I  happened  to  look  and  there  was 
the  key  back  in  the  inside  of  the  lock.  In  the  one 
or  two  minutes  between  finding  the  body  and  put- 
ting the  women  out  of  the  room,  someone  slipped 
this  key  back  into  the  lock." 

Alice,  the  colored  cook,  Agnes,  the  housemaid, 
Beatrice  and  Linda,  each  one  was  recalled  to  the 

83 


The  Alster  Case 


stand,  but  not  one  of  them  confessed  either  to  hav- 
ing seen  the  key  or  to  having  noticed  anyone  put- 
ting it  back  where  it  should  have  been  if  Miss  Cor- 
nelia Alster  had  locked  the  door  of  her  own  room 
after  retiring  to  it  for  the  night. 


VI 


THE  coroner  ordered  the  doors  between  the 
two  rooms  closed  in  order  that  the  jury 
might  go  into  executive  session  in  the 
dining-room.  General  Alster  immediately  joined 
Beatrice,  and  before  the  other  witnesses  entered 
he  was  escorting  her  from  the  reception  room.  At 
a  sign  from  him,  I  followed  with  Linda. 

Linda  seemed  not  in  the  least  affected  by  her 
aunt's  death  and  the  ordeal  of  the  preliminary  in- 
vestigation that  we  had  just  passed  through.  Her 
natural  coquetry  of  look,  manner,  and  words  was 
as  evident  as  ever;  it  appeared  in  the  glance 
she  gave  me  as  I  started  across  the  room  to- 
ward her,  in  the  manner  in  which  she  leaned 
upon  my  arm  as  I  led  her  away,  and  in  her  first 
words. 

"Do  you  think  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  wear 
mourning?"  she  asked  me,  carefully  lowering  her 
voice  so  that  no  one  else  should  hear. 

"I  think  it  would  be  better — for  a  time  at  least," 
I  replied,  covering  as  best  I  could  my  irritation  that 

85 


The  Alster  Case 


she  should  ask  so  light  a  question  at  so  grave  a 
time. 

"I  won't  mind,  if  I  find  I  look  well  in  it,"  she 
announced  with  a  slight  pressure  upon  my  arm  and  a 
look  meant  to  be  provocative. 

We  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  Above 
we  could  hear  General  Alster  and  Beatrice  already 
ascending  the  second  flight.  They  were  not  saying, 
a  word  to  each  other. 

I  stood  aside  for  Linda  to  lead  the  way.  The 
stairway  was  wide  enough  for  us  to  walk  up 
side  by  side,  but  I  thought  to  follow  behind  her 
and  thus  avoid  further  confidences.  Until  to-day 
Linda's  trifling  manner  and  words  had  but  amused 
me;  after  witnessing  her  recent  treatment  of  Bea- 
trice I  found  her  coquetries  embarrassing.  She  ad- 
vanced up  the  steps  so  slowly  that  I,  following, 
found  myself  frequently  on  the  next  step  below. 
Thus,  half  way  up  that  flight,  when  she  suddenly 
stopped  and  turned,  our  heads  were  on  a  level. 

"General  Alster  is  an  old  dear,  isn't  he?"  she 
demanded,  the  pupils  of  her  blue  eyes  making  a 
sortie  on  me  from  their  corners.  "He  has  invited 
me  to  go  home  with  him  to-night." 

The  emphasis  on  the  "me"  was  significant,  but  I 
86 


The  Alster  Case 


held  back  for  a  time  the  question  on  the  tip  of  my 
tongue  and  asked  instead,  "Are  you  going?" 

"Yes." 

"Is  Miss  Beatrice  going,  too?"  I  asked  now. 

"No."  After  a  look  she  moved  on  up  the  stairs. 
She  must  have  discerned  my  disappointment,  for  a 
few  steps  higher,  without  stopping,  she  flashed  back 
another  arch  look  at  me  and  shot,  "You  like  Bee 
a  great  deal  more  than  you  do  me,  don't  you?" 
Then  she  ran  on. 

Without  increasing  my  pace  I  was  upon  her  again 
as  we  started  up  the  next  flight,  but  my  mind  had 
sunk  to  heavier  things  than  her  light  talk  and  man- 
ner, astounding  as  these  seemed  in  this  house  on 
that  day. 

"You  take  it  as  seriously  as  though  you  were  one 
of  the  heirs.  You  might  at  least  appear  to  be  lis- 
tening to  my  questions!"  she  exclaimed  as  we 
reached  the  next  floor. 

I  looked  at  her  with  blank  surprise.  Had  she 
really  been  asking  me  further  questions  as  we  went 
up  that  last  flight?  She  opened  the  door  of  her 
own  room,  accepted  my  murmured  apologies  with  a 
toss  of  her  head,  and  entered  her  room,  leaving  the 
door  open. 

8? 


The  Alster  Case 


I  stood  in  the  hall  outside  looking  perplexedly 
after  her.  Had  she  told  me  the  truth?  Had  Gen- 
eral Alster  misinterpreted  Beatrice's  testimony? 
Had  he  invited  Linda  alone  to  accompany  him  to 
his  home?  It  seemed  incredible  that' he  could  have 
put  such  an  affront  upon  Beatrice.  Was  it  possible 
that  he  suspected  her  of  being  in  any  way  what- 
ever responsible  for  her  aunt's  death?  He  must, 
or 

The  opening  and  closing  of  the  door  of  Beatrice's 
room  interrupted  my  thoughts,  but  I  regarded  Gen- 
eral Alster  with  quite  different  feelings  from  those 
I  had  held  for  him  before.  He  came  along  the 
hall,  evidently  quite  unconscious  of  the  change  in 
my  attitude. 

"I  think  it  would  be  well  if  we  chose  this  time 
for  a  conference,"  he  announced.  "Will  you  come 
down  into  the  library  with  me?" 

I  noticed  with  a  further  sense  of  outrage  that 
he  carefully  closed  the  door  behind  us.  "There  are 
several  things  that  we  must  settle  before  I  leave," 
he  stated,  motioning  me  to  a  seat  but  remaining 
standing  himself.  "I  don't  know  how  long  you 
have  known  my  late  cousin,  nor  how  familiar  you 
are  with  her  desires,  but  I  have  talked  with  the 

88 


The  Alster  Case 


children  and  they  have  left  a  doubt  in  my  mind 
as  to  my  cousin's  wishes.  Miss  Beatrice  says  that 
my  cousin  always  had  a  horror  of  being  buried 
alive  and  even  of  being  buried  in  the  ground,  that 
again  and  again  she  has  heard  her  express  a  wish 
that  her  body  might  be  incinerated;  but  Miss  Linda 
affirms  with  a  great  deal  of  emphasis  that  she  never 
heard  her  aunt  express  any  such  wish,  and  that  she 
is  very  confident  that  her  aunt  preferred  to  be  buried 
in  the  old  way.  Can  you  throw  any  light  on  this 
question?" 

"I  think  that  Miss  Alster  would  have  wanted 
to  be  buried  in  the  modern,  scientific  manner,"  I 
declared. 

General  Alster  nodded.  "So  do  I,"  he  agreed. 
"And  since  we  are  together  on  that  point  I  think 
I  shall  take  it  upon  myself  to  stop  at  the  under- 
taker's on  my  way  home  and  instruct  him  to  re- 
move the  body  at  once." 

"He  can't  remove  the  body  until  the  coroner 
has  issued  a  burial  permit,"  I  blurted. 

"There  will  be  no  trouble  about  that.  And  that 
body  must  not  remain  in  this  house  to-night,"  re- 
sponded General  Alster  quietly  but  firmly. 

"Why  not?" 

89 


The  Alster  Case 


"Because  Miss  Beatrice  intends  to  remain  here," 
he  stated,  again  fixing  his  eyes  upon  me. 

I  felt  my  face  flushing  under  his  inspection,  but 
I  nodded. 

"Now,  another  thing."  To  my  great  relief  he 
withdrew  his  eyes.  "Even  with  the  body  gone,  I 
do  not  feel  easy  about  leaving  her  here  alone,  with 
none  except  the  servants  about." 

"No,  I  shouldn't  think  you  would." 

"There  should  be  a  man  here,"  he  went  on,  over- 
looking my  fling  at  him,  "in  case — well  in  case  of 
anything.  And  the  matter  to  be  settled  now  is 
whether  you  can  be  that  man." 

Stay  here !  Stay  overnight  in  this  house  where — 
In  spite  of  myself  I  shuddered.  Between  my  shoul- 
der blades  I  felt  the  touch  of  ice;  it  melted  and 
cold  water  ran  down  my  spine.  My  silence  brought 
General  Alster's  eyes  back  upon  me  again.  Some- 
thing in  his  look  forced  my  courage.  "Y-es,  I'll 
stay,"  I  managed  to  say. 

He  was  still  looking  at  me  and  seemed  on  the 
point  of  asking  me  for  an  explanation.  Before  he 
could  do  so,  my  former  resentment  swept  back 
upon  me. 

"General  Alster,"  I  exclaimed,  "you  are  doing 
90 


The  Alster  Case 


one  young  woman  a  grave  injustice  by  the  suspicions 
you  are  indulging  against  her." 

"One  young  woman!  Which  one?"  he  de- 
manded. 

"Miss  Beatrice." 

"I  wondered  what  had  caused  this  change  in 
you!"  General  Alster  stared  at  me  for  a  long 
time  before  going  on  coldly,  "Young  man,  do  you 
know  that  you  yourself  are  the  first  one  to  cast  any 
suspicion  on  her?  Do  you  realize  that  this  is  pre- 
cisely what  you  have  done  by  saying  what  you  just 
have?" 

"You  invited  Miss  Linda  to  your  home  and  left 
Miss  Beatrice  here — I'd  like  to  know  what  that 
shows,"  I  retorted  hotly. 

He  smiled.  "Only  because  Miss  Beatrice  declined 
the  same  invitation  and  preferred  to  remain  here." 

"Whatl" 

"Who  planted  that  scandalous  notion  in  your 
silly  young  head?" 

But  a  knock  at  the  door  saved  me  from  the  need 
of  answering  and  also  gave  me  time  to  recover  from 
my  confusion. 

It  was  the  coroner.  He  advanced  and  placed  a 
paper  in  General  Alster's  hand.  "There's  the 


The  Alster  Case 


burial  permit,  General,"  he  stated.  He  turned  and 
crossed  back  to  the  door.  "I  hope  we  have  been 
as  expeditious  as  you  expected  us  to  be,"  he  said. 

"Assuredly.     But — but  what  about  the  verdict?" 

"That,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  may  not  be  quite  as 
you  would  have  it,  but  it  was  the  best  I  could  do 
with  the  jury." 

"What  was  it?" 

Coroner  Halsperg  read  from  a  paper  that  he  held 
in  his  hand:  "We  find  that  the  deceased  died  from 
the  effect  of  a  bullet  wound,  the  weapon  from  which 
the  bullet  was  fired  being  at  the  time  in  the  hands 
of  herself  or  of  a  person  unknown  to  us." 

General  Alster  started.  "That  could  be  taken 
either  way.  I've  had  a  feeling  from  the  first  that 
my  cousin  committed  suicide,"  he  remonstrated. 

Coroner  Halsperg  made  a  gesture.  "You  heard 
only  part  of  the  testimony  unless  I  am  mistaken." 

"You  consider  this  a  fair  verdict  in  the  light  of 
all  the  evidence?" 

"Eminently  fair.  It  was  a  concession  that  the 
jury  allowed  the  possibility  of  suicide." 

General  Alster  pushed  back  a  white  lock  from 

his  brow  and  sighed.  "Knowing  her  as  I  did " 

he  mused.  He  stopped.  "This  means  a  lot  of 

92 


The  Alster  Case 


scareheads  and  notoriety  in  the  newspapers,  doesn't 
it,  Coroner?"  he  objected. 

"Yes.     I  don't  see  how  that  can  be  avoided." 

"It  can't  be  stopped?  You  can't  think  of  any 
way  to  stop  it?" 

"No,  the  more  you  try  to  stop  it  the  worse  it 
will  be." 

"And  it  will  bring  down  on  us  the  police,  detec- 
tives, the  district  attorney  and  all  that,  I  suppose." 

"Yes.  I'm  sorry."  Coroner  Halsperg  unques- 
tionably was. 

"Lord,  I  wish  I  knew  of  some  way  to  escape  it 
for  the  sake  of  the  girls!"  General  Alster  strode 
away  toward  the  front  of  the  room.  It  was  the 
first  time  he  had  shown  any  agitation.  "Can't  you 
— can't  you  tell  me  of  some  way?"  he  demanded 
querulously. 

"I'm  afraid  you  wouldn't  follow  my  advice." 

"How  do  you  know?  What  is  it?  Out  with  it, 
man!" 

"Well "  Coroner  Halsperg  hesitated,  "if  you 

make  any  further  mystery  of  it,  if  you  show  no 
intention  of  investigating  the  suspicious  things 
thrown  up  by  the  inquest,  every  newspaper  in  this 
city  will  put  its  best  reporters  on,  and  it  will  be  a 

93 


The  Alster  Case 


front  page  story  for  a  number  of  days,  perhaps  for 
a  week,  at  least  for  so  long  as  the  imaginations  of 
these  skilled  reporters  can  keep  busy  on  it." 

"But  no  outsiders,  no  reporters  were  present." 

"No,  but  the  jury  was,  and  it  heard  everything, 
and  God  has  never  made  a  jury  yet  that  the  re- 
porters couldn't  find  a  way  to  get  at  and  get  the 
news  from." 

General  Alster  sighed.  "Yes,  yes,  I  suppose 
that's  so.  But  you  said  something  about  some  ad- 
vice." 

"Shall  I  give  it  to  you?" 

"Yes." 

"Well,  open  the  door  and  let  the  reporters  in. 
Let  them  prowl  about  this  house  just  as  much  as 
they  please.  Cut  out  this  air  of  mystery  which  is 
bait  for  them.  If  you  don't  care  to  meet  their  ques- 
tions yourself,  state  that  you  have  put  detectives 
on  it  yourself,  and,  in  order  not  to  interfere  with 
their  thorough  investigation,  you  have  yourself 
agreed  to  say  nothing  for  publication.  Do  that  and 
in  one  day  this  will  drop  from  a  first  page  story 
with  scareheads  to  a  paragraph  or  two  on  an  inside 
page." 

"You  mean?" 

94 


The  Alster  Case 


"I  mean  that  if  you  don't  handle  this  matter  con- 
ventionally and  put  your  own  detectives  on  it,  the 
newspapers  will  scent  something  hidden  and  put 
their  sleuths  on  it.  And  that — well,  I  don't  need 
to  tell  you  what  that  means,  do  I?" 

"No."  General  Alster  nodded  somberly.  "You're 
right.  I'll  do  as  you  suggest.  Thank  you.  Good- 
bye." He  shook  the  departing  coroner's  hand. 

"Well,  I  suppose  we've  got  to  do  it,"  General 
Alster  lamented,  stopping  before  me  on  his  way 
back  from  the  door. 

"It  seems  the  wisest  thing,"  I  agreed  with  even 
more  reluctance. 

"I  wonder,  I  wonder "  he  looked  at  me. 

"You  wonder  what,  sir?" 

"I  wonder  if  that  man  Trask  is  in  the  house  still. 
If  we  must  have  a  detective,  why  not  secure  one 
at  once  and  turn  over  to  him  all  the  business  of 
handling  reporters  and  so  forth?" 

I  nodded. 

"Do  you  mind  going  downstairs,  seeing  if  he  is 
still  there,  and  asking  him  to  step  up  here  for  a  few 
minutes?" 

I  was  already  at  the  door  and  about  to  leave  the 
room  when  a  sudden  exclamation  from  General 

95 


The  Alster  Case 


Alster  caused  me  hastily  to  turn  about.  He  was 
staring  toward  the  dimly  lighted  alcove  to  the 
library  and  was  palpably  astounded  at  what  he  saw. 
I  followed  his  look.  In  this  recess  to  the  left  of 
the  piano  was  a  huge  high-backed  chair  from  which 
a  man  who  must  have  been  present  throughout  our 
entire  interview  had  just  risen  and  was  regarding 
me  calmly.  The  man  was  Trask. 

"I  owe  you  my  apologies  for — for  being  discov- 
ered," he  said  easily.  "I  happened  to  be  in  here 
making  a  little  investigation  of  my  own  and  I  was 
so  deeply  interested  in  something  I  found  that  you 
had  shut  me  in  with  you  before  I  noticed.  After 
that — well,  I  confess  what  you  had  to  say  to  each 
other  interested  me  enough  for  me  to  keep  quiet." 

"You  don't  seem  the  least  embarrassed  at  being 
found  eavesdropping."  General  Alster  looked  at 
him  with  astonishment. 

"No,  I'm  a  detective,"  responded  Trask  calmly. 

"Ahl  You  feel  that  excuses  you  ?" 

"Certainly.  It's  as  much  my  business  to  learn 
every  single  thing  that  may  be  useful  to  me  in 
solving  a  case  as  it  is  your  business  to  inquire  into 
the  references  and  gossip  regarding  anybody  who 
wishes  to  lease  one  of  your  buildings.  I  might  mus- 

96 


"A  sudden  exclamation  from  General  Alster  caused  me 
hastily  to  turn  about." 


The  Alster  Case 


ter  up  a  little  false  shame,  if  you  demand  it  of  me, 
but  it  will  be  all  pretense,  believe  me." 

There  was  no  answer  to  this  simple  but  precise 
statement.  General  Alster  smiled  in  spite  of  him- 
self. 

"Also,"  Trask  advanced  toward  him,  "having 
been  an  interested  auditor  of  all  that  has  been  said, 
we  all  of  us  are  saved  much  time.  I  presume  you 
have  made  up  your  mind  to  follow  the  coroner's 
advice?" 

"Yes,  if  you  agree  with  it." 

Trask  nodded.  "I  do,  and  I  know  just  what  you 
wish  and  how  best  to  do  it."  Trask  moved  to- 
ward the  door  as  if  he  intended  to  act  on  it  at 
once. 

"You  need  no  further  instructions?  There  is 
nothing  else  you  wish  to  consult  us  about?"  Gen- 
eral Alster  regarded  him  with  satisfaction. 

"Not  a  thing.  I've  overheard  what  you  had  to 
say,  and  caught  your  wishes  a  hundred  times  better 
than  if  you  had  endeavored  to  tell  them  to  me.  I 
was  about  to  go  down  and  attend  to  the  reporters. 
On  second  thought,  I  guess  it  would  be  better  if  I 
put  off  that  duty  until  you  and  Miss  Linda  go.  As 
you  leave  the  house  the  reporters  will  intercept  you. 

97 


The  Alster  Case 


All  you  need  say  is  that  you  have  given  orders  to 
open  the  house  to  them  and  left  me  to  answer  their 
questions.  I  stand  well  with  them.  That  will  be 
enough  to  save  you  a  lot  of  trouble,  both  here  and 
at  your  own  house  after  you  get  there." 

"That's  true  1"  General  Alster  nodded  his  assent 
vigorously.  "And  I'll  take  advantage  of  your  pres- 
ence by  getting  away  home  with  Miss  Linda  at 
once."  He  turned  toward  the  door,  but  stopped. 
"But  there's  one  thing  about  you  quite  as  amazing 
as  all  the  rest,  Mr.  Trask,  and,  well,  a  trifle  less 
businesslike  perhaps  than  your  other  actions.  You 
haven't  yet  even  asked  for  my  authority  to  start 
in  on  this  case." 

"No."  Trask  smiled.  "But  only  because  I  had 
already  received  orders  the  first  thing  this  morn- 
ing."  ' 

"Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon."  After  a  short  look  of 
surprise  at  me  General  Alster  left  the  room. 

Not  until  General  Alster  and  Linda  had  gone 
and  Trask  had  attended  to  the  reporters,  did  I 
have  an  opportunity  to  ask  him  the  questions  this 
talk  had  roused  in  my  mind.  I  was  still  waiting  in 
the  library  when  the  door  opened  quietly  and  Trask 
entered.  He  said  not  a  word,  but  returned  to  the 

98 


The  Alster  Case 


alcove  where  he  had  been  discovered  and  seemed 
intently  engaged  on  hands  and  knees  in  going  over 
every  inch  of  the  floor  in  that  vicinity. 

I  went  over  and  joined  him.  "You  said  you 
found  something  here  that  interested  you?"  I  ven- 
tured. 

"Yes,  I  found  something  that  virtually  proves 
that  there'was  another  person  in  this  room  last  night 
beside  Miss  Beatrice,  as  the  maid,  Agnes,  testified," 
he  replied. 

My  jaw  dropped.  "Do  you  mind  showing  me 
just  what  it  was?"  I  asked  him. 

"No."  Trask  rose  to  his  feet.  "Here  is  pre- 
sumptive evidence  enough  for  me."  He  drew  from 
his  pocket  a  much  folded  surface-car  transfer  and 
handed  it  to  me. 

I  unfolded  and  examined  it.  "I  don't  see  how 
this  proves  what  you  say,"  I  protested. 

"Look  at  the  date :  yesterday.  Look  at  the  time 
punched:  10  P.  M.  Now " 

"Precisely!  Ten  P.  M.,"  I  interrupted,  "and 
that  very  fact  disproves  that  anyone  could  have  left 
this  here  between  eight  and  nine  last  night  before 
Miss  Alster  returned  home." 

"No,"  Trask  corrected  me  calmly.  "You  for- 
99 


The  Alster  Case 


get.  The  time  limit  punched  on  a  transfer  is  two 
hours  later  than  when  it  is  given  out,  so  that  there 
may  be  plenty  of  time  to  use  it  on  other  lines  before 
it  expires.  Now  this  transfer,  you  will  notice,  was 
given  to  someone  riding  south  on  the  Madison  Ave- 
nue line  which  runs  by  the  end  of  this  street.  Neither 
of  the  coupons  has  been  detached.  Consequently  it 
must  have  been  given  to  someone  coming  in  this  di- 
rection from  further  uptown  and  dropped  by  him 
later  in  this  room.  By  whom?  By  some  stranger 
probably,  whose  voice  Agnes  heard  in  this  room 
about  8  130  as  she  went  upstairs.  By  the  way,  do  you 
notice  anything  else  about  it?" 

I  studied  it  for  a  time  blankly  before  shaking 
my  head. 

"Well,  it  has  been  folded  this  way  and  that  way 
as  if  the  man  given  it  had  no  further  use  for  it, 
also  as  if  he  were  exceedingly  nervous  over  the  out- 
come of  his  visit  here.  And  he  doubtless  was  so 
surprised  by  the  unexpected  return  of  Miss  Alster 
that  he  dropped  it  on  the  floor  where  I  found  it." 

"You're  too  sure  that  this  was  left  here  last 
night,"  I  objected,  dismayed  at  the  way  his  hunt 
was  tending.  "Why  couldn't  I  have  dropped  it 
here  to-day?" 

100 


The  Alster  Case 


"You?"  He  did  not  bother  even  to  look  at  me. 
"Why  you  testified  that  between  eight  and  nine  last 
night  you  were  going  to  and  from  the  opera  in  taxis. 
You  didn't  perjure  yourself,  did  you?" 

I  had  nothing  to  say.  His  memory  evidently  was 
a  fishhook  for  details.  It  was  several  minutes  be- 
fore I  made  up  my  mind  to  ask  him  my  other  ques- 
tion. "You  told  General  Alster  you  had  orders  to 
start  on  this  case  this  morning,"  I  said.  "General 
Alster  looked  at  me  as  if  he  thought  I  ordered  you 
to,  but  I  didn't.  Do  you  mind  telling  me  from 
whom  you  got  your  orders?" 

Without  removing  his  eyes  from  the  carpet  over 
which  they  were  traveling,  Trask  drew  a  sheet  of 
note-paper  from  his  pocket;  without  looking  at  this, 
he  handed  it  to  me.  I  opened  it  and  read: 

Will  you  oblige  me  by  reporting  at  my  house  the 
first  thing  in  the  morning  in  person  prepared  to 
undertake  the  investigation  you  will  find  ready  for 
you?  It  is  oi  the  utmost  importance.  I  trust  you 
will  not  fail  me,  but  come  yourself. 

Even  before  I  came  to  the  signature  I  knew  who 
had  prepared  that  note.  Miss  Cornelia  Alster  had 
written  it,  and  the  date  showed  that  she  had  done 

101 


The  Alster  Case 


so  on  the  previous  day,  on  the  very  day  on  which 
she  had  met  her  death.  The  first  shock  with  which 
I  had  read  it  subsided  and  was  succeeded  by  a  feel- 
ing of  relief.  She  had  forecasted  her  own  death. 
She  had  rendered  plausible  now  but  one  theory, 
that  she  had  taken  her  own  life.  And  Beatrice — no 
further  suspicion  could  attach  to  her. 


VII 

I  CAREFULLY  folded  that  important  note  and 
held  it  out  to  Trask.  Though  his  back  was 
still  toward  me,  he  seemed  instantly  aware 
of  my  action.  Still  without  looking  at  me  his  hand 
came  straight  to  it,  received  it,  and  deposited  it 
in  his  pocket. 

"I  veritably  believe  you  have  eyes  in  the  back  of 
your  head,"  I  accused  him. 

He  chuckled.  "Ears  are  so  much  more  service- 
able than  eyes,"  he  responded. 

"You  are  the  only  one  I  ever  heard  say  that. 
Why?" 

"They  can  observe  almost  as  much  as  any  pair 
of  eyes,  however  keen,  and  they  have  the  great 
advantage  of  not  betraying  what  one  feels  or  thinks 
about  things." 

"Yes,  now  that  you  mention  it,"  I  agreed,  "eyes 
do  give  away  thoughts  and  feelings  a  lot,  don't 
they?" 

"That's  the  general  belief,"  he  chuckled.  "But 
evidently  you  haven't  heard  the  most  modern  scien- 

103 


The  Alster  Case 


tific  theory  about  that.  Modern  science  says  that 
the  pupil  of  the  eye  and  the  eye  itself  express 
little  or  no  feeling  or  intelligence,  that  all  this  really 
comes  from  the  involuntary  action  of  the  many  little 
muscles  of  the  face."  He  turned  suddenly  and 
looked  at  me.  "For  instance,  at  this  moment  your 
eyes  are  opened  a  trifle  wider  than  usual,  your  lips 
have  parted,  your  eyebrows  have  gone  up.  All 
these  are  muscular  changes  of  the  face  and  yet  any- 
one would  say  your  eyes  were  showing  surprise, 
though  these  have  changed  little  if  any  at  all.  How 
much  there  is  behind  this  theory  I  have  never 
bothered  to  make  sure,  but,  long  before  I  heard  it, 
I  practiced  keeping  my  back  to  every  one  and  my 
face  to  myself.  The  back  and  profile  give  one  away 
quite  enough,  but  the  full  face  and  eyes  and  mouth 
— well,  in  my  profession,  it  is  wise  to  afford  others 
just  as  few  clews  to  your  thoughts  and  feelings  as 
possible." 

He  had  turned  away  after  reading  my  face  in  a 
single  quick  glance.  "Does  your  turning  away  mean 
that  you  suspect  even  me?"  I  demanded  jocularly. 

"I  suspect  everyone  until  he  is  proved  guiltless," 
he  replied  promptly.  "There's  a  precious  lot  of 
theoretic  tommyrot  about  the  presumption  of  inno- 

104 


The  Alster  Case 


cence,  and  how  little  the  police  and  the  men  of  my 
profession  live  up  to  it.  But  if  you'll  really  con- 
sider that  question  a  moment,  you'll  realize  that  the 
speediest  way  of  solving  a  crime  is  to  view  the  like- 
liest ones  as  guilty  until  each  is  cleared.  Suppose 
you  consider  everyone  innocent,  where  are  you  to 
make  your  start?  No,  believe  everyone  possible 
guilty  and  then  set  to  work  to  establish  each  one's 
guilt  or  innocence — that's  the  only  practical  method 
of  solving  a  crime,  and  that  is  precisely  why  that 
practice  is  in  vogue.  I've  taken  all  this  bother  to 
present  these  opinions  to  you  because  I  realize  that 
sooner  or  later  we  are  likely  to  wrangle  over  this 
very  question." 

I  guessed  what  he  was  tending  toward.  He  had 
overheard,  he  had  learned  how  deeply  interested  I 
was  in  Beatrice,  and  was  warning  me  not  to  inter- 
fere with  his  investigation  in  that  direction. 

"But — but  don't  you  see  that  Miss  Alster's  letter 
to  you  proves  absolutely  that  she  committed  suicide 
and  makes  anything  more  than  a  perfunctory  in- 
vestigation on  your  part  unnecessary?"  I  demanded. 

He  shook  his  head.  "No,"  he  stated  firmly,  "why 
should  she  send  for  me,  if  she  intended  to  commit 
suicide?  Unanswerable,  isn't  it?  I  predict  that 

105 


The  Alster  Case 


we  shall  find  that  Miss  Alster  sent  for  me  to  un- 
cover something  about  Keith,  the  butler,  who  has 
taken  to  his  heels.  Yes,  either  Keith  or — but  that 
is  sheer  conjecture  as  yet.  However,  as  regards 
the  question  of  suicide,  I  examined  the  wound  care- 
fully. The  character  of  the  powder  marks  showed 
conclusively  that  the  pistol  must  have  been  held  at 
least  three  feet  away  from  her  head.  And  I  don't 
think  I  need  to  demonstrate  to  you  that  she  could 
not  possibly  hold  that  pistol  three  feet  away  from 
her  and  lodge  a  shot  in  the  back  of  her  neck.  No, 
the  idea  of  suicide,  as  the  doctor  indicated,  is  out 
of  the  question.  Miss  Alster  was  murdered.  That's 
the  point  we  start  from.  Not  by  any  burglar,  be- 
cause nothing  is  missing.  Whether  by  some  mem- 
ber of  this  household  or  someone  outside  cannot 
yet  be  determined.  The  front  door  had  in  service 
only  a  spring  lock,  the  lower  lock  on  it  was  never 
used,  anyone  could  leave  this  house  at  any  time. 
The  first  thing  to  learn  is  whether  one  or  two  men 
were  in  this  house  last  night,  whom  they  came  to  see, 
how  long  they  were  here,  when  they  left.  This 
transfer  is  evidence  enough  for  me  that  one  man 
was  in  this  room  last  night  as  the  maid  testified.  I 
begin  there." 

106 


The  Alster  Case 


The  decision  with  which  he  announced  this  indi- 
cated that  he  expected  trouble  from  me  and  wished 
first  to  get  it  over  with;  it  seemed  to  me  also  time 
to  discountenance  the  absurd  pursuit  of  Beatrice  he 
plainly  intended  to  undertake. 

"I  don't  mind  your  suspecting  me  and  all  others," 
I  protested,  "but  when  it  comes  to  your  suspecting 
Miss  Beatrice  of  having  had  anything  whatever  to 
do  with  this  awful  affair,  I  can't  allow  it.  I'd  be 
the  lowest  kind  of  cur  to  stand  here  and  permit  it. 
I'd  never  forgive  myself.  I'd " 

"That's  right,  man,  out  with  it,"  he  interrupted. 
"I  like  you  all  the  better  for  declaring  yourself 
hotly,  but " 

It  wasn't  his  praise;  it  was  something  in  the  quick, 
assured  look  he  flashed  that  silenced  me  in  the 
very  heat  of  my  indignation.  "But?"  I  reminded 
him. 

"But  you  haven't  the  remotest  fear  that  I  shall 
connect  her  in  any  way  with  this,  have  you?"  he 
demanded. 

"How  silly!"  I  laughed. 

"Then  leave  it  to  me  to  dig  up  the  facts  that 
will  take  away  the  suspicious  air  of  mystery  about 
her  attitude,  and  make  everyone  believe  as  you  do," 

107 


The  Alster  Case 


he  said  quickly  and  left  the  room  before  I  could 
think  of  an  answer  worth  the  saying. 

I  felt  the  wisdom  of  this — in  time.  The  sooner 
we  learned  the  reason  for  Beatrice's  reluctance  to 
say  anything  about  the  quarrel  with  her  aunt,  the 
sooner  everything  would  be  explained.  She  would 
appear  cleared  of  every  suspicion,  the  splendid,  un- 
selfish, deeply  affectionate  girl  I  knew  her  to  be.  I 
felt  a  strong  impulse  to  run  upstairs  to  her, 
to  beg  her  to  confide  in  me  what  she  held  back 
from  the  others  in  order  that  the  investigation 
in  this  direction  might  be  the  sooner  over,  but, 
after  long  parleying  with  myself,  I  gave  up  that 
idea.  She  had  been  through  too  much  to-day. 
I  could  do  that  later  after  she  had  had  a 
night's  rest,  if  Trask  failed  to  unravel  the  mystery 
meantime. 

Nevertheless,  left  to  myself,  I  gravitated  natur- 
ally toward  her,  going  up  to  her  room  and  knock- 
ing on  the  door  despite  my  fear  that  my  visit  might 
be  an  intrusion.  I  entered  at  her  bidding  to  find 
her  sitting  up  on  the  couch,  and  it  needed  but  a 
glance  at  her  misty  eyes  and  tumbled  hair  to  realize 
that  she  had  been  lying  down  crying. 

My  heart  went  out  to  her.  Oh,  how  I  wished  I 
108 


The  Alster  Case 


had  known  her  long  enough  to  offer  her  that  sym- 
pathy and  comfort  which  an  older  friend  might  have 
given!  In  grief  such  as  this  a  man  realizes  poig- 
nantly the  best  uses  for  a  pair  of  arms  and  a  shoul- 
der, yet  is  restrained  from  doing  what  nature 
prompts  him  to  do  by  a  cowardly  fear  of  how  it  may 
be  taken.  I  could  only  stand  there  staring  at  her 
stupidly,  muttering  lame  words  of  sorrow,  and  wind- 
ing up  by  inquiring  if  she  would  not  prefer  to  be 
left  alone. 

She  made  a  quick  pass  to  her  face  with  her 
handkerchief  and  insisted  that  I  should  stay.  "No, 
it  will  do  me  so  much  good  to  talk  it  over.  I'm 
not  the  kind  of  girl,  I  think,  that  finds  consola- 
tion in  having  a  good  cry." 

More  stupid  words  from  me. 

"It  seems  incredible,"  she  went  on,  "but  I  came 
in  here  thinking  only  of  poor  auntie — and  what  she 
had  been  through — and — and  I'm  ashamed  of  my- 
self, but  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  crying  and  pitying 
myself  and  thinking  only  of  myself.  Isn't  it  bar- 
barous that  I  could  be  so  selfish  at  such  a  time  as 
this?" 

I  cannot  recall  what  I  said.  I  remember  only 
how  lovely  she  looked,  all  drooping  and  meek,  with 

109 


The  Alster  Case 


that  soft  flush  of  color  on  her  cheeks,  and  her  dear 
brown  eyes  gleaming  indignantly  through  a  mist. 

She  rose  and  walked  away  toward  the  front  of 
the  room  and  my  eyes  went  with  her.  No  one  I 
have  ever  seen  walks  quite  as  Beatrice  does.  It  is 
the  difference  between  a  schoolgirl's  titter  and  the 
smile — graceful,  gently  coming  and  going — on  the 
face  of  a  woman  whose  heart  is  touched.  My  ad- 
miration broke  through  my  sympathy  for  her.  I 
felt  ashamed.  I  felt  as  she  felt. 

"You  know "  her  voice  trembled  with  the 

burden  on  it  and  she  looked  not  at  me,  but  away, 
"you  know  auntie  thought  that  no  one  understood 
her,  that — that  no  one  really  loved  her,  but  I 

did "  she  was  silent  for  a  long  time "I  did, 

and — and  I  miss  her  so — now  that  it's  too  late  to  let 
her  know  how  much." 

"She  knows  now,"  I  murmured  inanely. 

"Perhaps.  But  do  you  want  to  know  how  much 
I  missed  her?"  She  turned  slowly  toward  me.  "I 
think  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  cried  since  I  was 
a  little  child.  And  as  I  lay  there  realizing  that  I 
couldn't  have  her,  I  began  to  cry  for  my  mother. 
My  mother  died  when  I  was  very  young,  I  don't  re- 
member her  at  all,  so  losing  auntie  seemed  just 

no 


The  Alster  Case 


like  losing  mother.     She  was  so  good  to  me.     She 
was  so  good  to  everyone." 

I  was  silent.  That  was  hardly  my  opinion  of 
her  axmt,  or  anyone  else's  opinion.  Miss  Alster's 
goodness  and  affection  had  seemed  to  me  too  incon- 
stant, too  querulous,  too  exacting  to  merit  the  name. 
It  had  come  and  gone,  come  and  gone,  and  hateful 
words  and  actions  had  followed  so  closely  behind 
that  one  could  better  have  depended  upon  her  hate 
than  love.  She  was  a  veritable  canker  of  regrets. 
I  thought  of  the  times  she  had  changed  her  will, 
each  time  to  punish  Beatrice  or  Linda  for  some 
fancied  lessening  of  their  manner  or  feelings,  not 
really  in  them  but  in  herself.  She  had  been  so 
childish  about  it,  had  spoken  so  slurringly  of  those 
she  expected  to  love  her !  It  was  well  for  Beatrice, 
it  was  well  for  Linda,  too,  that  she  had  died  before 
she  had  cut  off  with  a  shilling  those  whom  she  had 
brought  up  to  expect  so  much. 

I  loved  Beatrice,  but- 1  so  little  agreed  with  her 
on  this  point  that  I  almost  welcomed  the  knock  on 
the  door.  It  was  Trask.  He  passed  me  without 
a  word  and  crossed  the  room  to  Beatrice.  I  heard 
him  whisper  that  the  undertaker  had  come  and  was 
about  to  take  away  the  body. 

in 


The  Alster  Case 


She  made  only  a  little  gasp,  but  she  ran  from 
the  room  ahead  of  him.  From  the  hall  above  I 
heard  her  sobbing,  and  pulled  in  my  head  as  I 
heard  the  tramp  of  the  men  when  they  bore  the 
body  out  of  the  house.  Then  I  bent  'over  the 
banister  again.  Beatrice  was  standing  at  the  top 
of  the  stairs  looking  down  toward  the  door  through 
which  her  aunt's  body  had  just  disappeared.  She 
was  not  making  a  sound,  but  Trask's  arm  was  about 
her  and  he  was  trying  to  lead  her  upstairs.  I  shut 
myself  up  in  my  room. 

Trask  and  I  dined  alone  in  the  big,  somber  din- 
ing-room that  night  and  had  nothing  to  say.  Agnes, 
at  his  suggestion,  had  informed  Beatrice  that  we 
did  not  look  for  her  to  appear  and  had  taken  up 
her  dinner.  As  we  rose,  we  both  looked  inter- 
estedly at  the  tray  which  Agnes  had  brought  down. 
The  food  was  untouched. 

Agnes  brought  word  to  us  that  Beatrice  had  let- 
ters to  write  and  begged  to  be  excused  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  evening,  but  that  she  desired  us  to 
make  ourselves  thoroughly  at  home.  As  I  came 
out  of  the  dining-room  I  remained  idly  in  the  re- 
ception room  a  moment,  wondering  what  I  should 
do  to  pass  away  the  time.  When  I  looked  about 

112 


The  Alster  Case 


Trask  was  nowhere  in  sight.  I  did  not  wish  to  be 
alone  or  to  sit  down  to  read.  I  paced  up  and  down 
the  front  hall  for  a  time  before  concluding  that  I 
might  as  well  go  out  and  learn  what  the  newspapers 
had  to  say  about  the  tragedy.  I  secured  the  latest 
editions  at  a  neighboring  news  stand  and  read  them 
in  the  nearest  restaurant.  The  news  of  Miss  Alster's 
death  was  on  the  first  page  of  each  one,  but  all 
of  them  treated  the  story  as  if  it  were  a  case  of 
suicide  which  the  family  were  desirous  of  covering 
up.  The  girls  were  merely  mentioned;  the  disap- 
pearance of  Keith  was  not  even  noted;  Trask  had 
done  his  work  and  done  it  well.  I  left  the  news- 
papers in  the  restaurant  and  returned  to  the  house 
with  a  lighter  heart. 

As  I  went  up  the  steps  it  dawned  on  me  that  I 
was  without  a  latchkey,  that  it  was  ten  o'clock,  and 
my  ringing  the  bell  might  disturb  Beatrice.  I  hesi- 
tated and  struggled  with  a  cowardly  impulse  to  use 
this  as  an  excuse  for  not  spending  the  night  in  this 
house  where  I  knew  I  should  sleep  little  if  at  all, 
but  I  ended  by  touching  the  bell. 

Trask  let  me  in  and  must  have  noted  my  sur- 
prise to  find  him  still  there,  for  he  did  not  give 
me  time  to  voice  it. 


The  Alster  Case 


"Ah!  Raining,  I  see,"  he  exclaimed,  glancing 
at  my  wet  hat  and  coat. 

"Yes,  it's  just  beginning  to  come  down,"  I  stated, 
and  before  I  could  say  more  he  was  on  his  way 
upstairs. 

I  hung  my  hat  and  coat  on  the  hall  stand  and  was 
about  to  follow  him  when  the  telephone  at  the  rear 
of  the  hall  rang.  After  a  moment's  indecision,  I 
decided  it  was  my  duty  to  answer  it.  The  call  was 
for  Miss  Linda  and  was  in  a  man's  voice,  but  this 
made  no  impression  on  me.  I  informed  him  that 
Linda  was  not  there,  that  General  Alster  had  taken 
her  home  with  him.  There  was  a  short  pause  and 
he  started  a  sentence  that  led  me  to  think  he  was 
about  to  ask  for  someone  else  in  her  place,  but  he 
stopped,  thanked  me  and  said  good-by. 

"Do  you  wish  to  leave  your  name?"  I  asked. 

"No,  thank  you,  I'll  call  her  up  to-morrow,"  came 
the  reply,  and  he  cut  off. 

As  I  went  upstairs  I  noticed  that  the  door  of 
Miss  Alster's  room  was  slightly  ajar.  Well,  if 
Trask  was  in  there  pursuing  his  investigations  he 
was  safe  from  any  intrusion  on  my  part,  much  as  I 
yearned  for  some  sort  of  human  companionship. 
I  hurried  on  up  the  next  flight  and  was  surprised 

114 


The  Alster  Case 


to  come  upon  Beatrice  at  the  top  standing  fully 
dressed  to  go  out  and  looking  at  me  expectantly. 

"That  telephone  call  was  not  for  me,  was  it?" 
she  asked  with  agitation. 

"No.     You  aren't  going  out?"  I  remonstrated. 

"Yes,  I  have  some  letters  to  mail,"  she  said  mov- 
ing on  as  if  to  avoid  argument. 

"But  it's  raining,  raining  hard  by  this  time,"  I 
expostulated. 

"I'll  get  an  umbrella  downstairs,"  she  promised, 
beginning  to  go  down  the  stairs. 

"Let  me  go  out  and  mail  them  for  you,  won't 
you?"  I  asked  bending  over  the  rail  toward  her. 

"No — thank  you." 

"Then  at  least  I'll  go  along  with  you,"  I  pro- 
tested. 

"No — thank  you,"  she  said,  a  little  coolly  I 
thought,  and  before  I  could  say  more  she  had  turned 
into  the  hall  below. 

A  trifle  hurt  at  her  curt  refusal,  I  stood  looking 
down  after  her,  the  impulse  on  me  to  accompany 
her  despite  her  words,  but  the  outer  door  had  closed 
behind  her  before  I  could  make  up  my  mind  whether 
she  might  not  think  me  too  officious. 

While  I  was  yet  standing  there  mooning  over  my 


The  Alster  Case 


intention,  I  became  conscious  that  someone  else  was 
going  down  the  lower  flight  of  stairs.  I  glanced 
over  the  rail.  It  was  Trask  with  his  coat  on  and 
his  hat  in  his  hand.  Was  he  going  home  after 
finishing  his  work  for  the  night,  or  was  he  leaving 
to  follow  Beatrice?  I  called  his  name.  He  re- 
sponded with  a  wave  of  his  hand  which  I  took  to 
mean  good-night. 

-  My  room  was  on  the  third  floor  between  those 
belonging  to  the  two  girls.  I  went  into  it,  turned 
on  all  the  lights  and  closed  the  door,  but  somehow 
the  departure  of  these  two  people  gave  me  a  dread- 
ful apprehension  that  I  was  alone  in  the  house.  I 
was  not,  but  it  was  as  though  I  were  alone.  Even 
the  most  phlegmatic  will  confess  the  strain  it  is  on 
the  nerves  to  be  shut  up  in  a  deserted  house.  I 
listened,  hopeful  of  detecting  some  companionable 
sound  from  the  two  maids  on  the  floor  above,  but 
my  ears  brought  me  nothing.  Then  I  laughed  to 
myself,  picked  up  a  magazine  and  forced  myself 
to  sit  down  to  read.  But  if  my  life  depended  on 
it,  I  could  neither  tell  you  the  name  of  that  maga- 
zine nor  a  word  from  it  that  would  serve  as  a  clew. 
While  my  eyes  were  directed  to  its  pages,  my  facul- 
ties were  absent,  listening,  with  all  the  force  of  my 

116 


The  Alster  Case 


imagination,  for  some  sound  in  the  silent  house.  It 
is  a  strange  feature  of  this  common  human  terror 
that  one  listens  so  concentratedly  for  sounds  that 
one  always  hears  them,  knows  they  are  purely 
imaginary,  yet  cannot  be  convinced,  and  ends  by 
becoming  incapable  of  distinguishing  real  sounds 
from  fancied  ones.  I  tried  it  with  my  door  open, 
with  it  closed,  then  left  it  open,  and  sat  down  to 
read  again.  Before  I  had  turned  a  page — from 
which  I  took  in  not  a  word — I  heard  every  con- 
secutive sound  that  would  be  made  by  someone  put- 
ting a  key  into  the  lock,  turning  it,  opening  and 
closing  the  front  door,  two  flights  below.  I  waited 
for  the  sound  of  steps  on  the  stairs.  None  came, 
yet  convinced  that  this  time  I  had  not  been  deceived, 
I  went  out  in  the  hall  and  peered  over  the  banister. 
Not  a  soul  was  visible  downstairs.  I  returned  to 
my  magazine  with  a  thoroughgoing  disgust  at  my- 
self. Before  I  could  turn  a  page,  the  sounds  were 
repeated.  This  time  I  refused  to  be  beguiled.  A 
new  sound,  a  slight  click  as  of  metal  on  metal,  came 
to  me  and  I  sat  up.  I  heard  a  voice  lowered  for 
secrecy,  and  I  jumped  to  my  feet. 

Downstairs  in  the  front  hall  someone  was  at  the 
telephone.     It  was  a  woman. 

117 


The  Alster  Case 


"Morningside  6873,"  I  heard  her  repeat  a  little 
impatiently  and  recognized  the  voice  as  Beatrice's. 
Then  suddenly  I  heard  her  jiggle  the  telephone  hook 
furiously.  "No,  never  mind,  I  don't  want  that  num- 
ber now,  do  you  understand  me?"  I  heard  her  state 
excitedly  and  she  hastily  hung  up  the  receiver  and 
came  upstairs. 

She  passed  my  open  door  without  a  word.  I 
closed  it,  feeling  better  because  someone  was  in 
the  next  room  to  me,  but  I  slept  very  poorly  that 
night.  I  kept  hearing  sounds. 


VIII 

MY  first  action  the  next  morning  was  to 
hurry  downtown  to  seek  offices  in  the 
Pinnacle  Building  suitable  to  my  new 
trust  and  position.  I  preferred  offices  in  the  same 
uprearing  skyscraper  with  Avery,  Avery  &  Avery 
because  then  people  coming  to  renew  leases, 
to  pay  rents,  and  so  forth,  would,  upon 
being  informed  that  in  future  I  transacted  all  that 
business  for  the  estate,  find  me  within  easy  reach. 
Also  the  Pinnacle  Building  was  well  conducted  and 
well  located  on  Broadway  near  one  of  the  subway 
stations. 

The  agent  told  me  that  there  was  not  a  vacant 
suite  of  offices  in  the  entire  building.  I  had  feared 
as  much.  My  disappointment  made  me  lament  my 
ill  luck.  I  explained  with  vexation  my  peculiar  need 
for  having  offices  there,  without,  however,  appear- 
ing to  stir  the  agent  from  his  heedless  indifference; 
in  fact,  I  was  already  at  the  door  when  he  sud- 
denly called. 

"Wait  just  a  minute,  Mr.  Swan."  He  turned  to 
119 


The  Alster  Case 


the   stenographer   at  his   right.      "We     haven't    a 
chance  at  a  thing  here,  have  we?"  he  demanded. 

Again  I  had  evidence  that  the  modern  woman 
stenographer  is  the  modern  business  man's  memory, 
brain  and  right  hand.  "Mr.  Longstreet  may  not 
have  sublet  his  suite  yet,"  she  suggested. 

"Sure!"  The  agent  rose  with  as  much  emphasis 
as  if  the  idea  had  been  his  own.  "Now  this  man, 
Longstreet,"  he  informed  me  as  we  went  up  in  the 
elevator,  "is  a  poor  nut.  Inventor  or  something 
of  that  sort.  Nicest  sort  of  a  chap,  but  crazy  in 
the  head,  thinks  he's  right  up  next  to  some  big  in- 
vention that'll  make  the  world  stop  and  begin  to 
turn  round  the  other  way.  Poor  nut!  His  father 
invented  money,  wanted  to  land  him  in  the  padded 
comfort  of  a  Wall  Street  broker's  job,  but  son,  he 
thought  he  could  sure  invent  something  better'n  even 
money."  He  stopped  while  we  emerged  from  the 
express  elevator  on  one  of  the  top  stories  in  the 
tower  which  gave  this  skyscraper  its  name.  "Well, 
well,  he  doesn't  seem  to  have  put  in  an  appearance 
yet,"  he  announced  after  trying  the  door  directly 
opposite,  "but  come  in,  I  can  show  you  what  it  looks 
like  anyway,"  and  he  opened  the  door  with  a  key 
of  his  own. 

120 


The  Alster  Case 


I  went  in  and  saw  before  me  one  of  those  bird's- 
eye  views  of  Manhattan  to  the  north  and  east  and 
west  that  have  prepared  us  for  airships.  Far  away 
in  all  three  directions  stretched  the  busy  pigmy  me- 
tropolis, people,  automobiles  and  street  cars  mov- 
ing soundlessly  like  atoms  below,  the  rivers  with 
their  ferries  and  shipping  stretching  like  moon- 
wakes  along  its  length,  and  the  country  as  a  final 
lure  greeting  the  end  of  each  look.  The  agent  had 
to  call  me  back  to  earth. 

"Unless  I'm  mistaken,"  he  broke  out,  "he  wanted 
to  sublet  the  safe,  telephone,  desks  and  furnishings 
as  well." 

They — everything — were  the  height  of  my 
wishes.  "This  is  exactly  what  I  want — where  can 
I  find  him?"  I  demanded  ecstatically. 

"Well,  like  all  other  inventors,  he's  the  most  un- 
certain of  men,  but  he's  usually  here  early  morn- 
ings. I  don't  know  what  you  can  do  about  it  except 
to  leave  word  with  me  and  wait  until — hold  on,  that 
may  be  him  now!" 

The  door  opened  and  in  stepped  a  tall  blonde 
youth.  I  must  describe  Allan  Longstreet  because 
he  cuts  an  important  figure  in  this  story.  He  was 
tall,  so  tall  that  his  head  and  shoulders  stooped  a. 

121 


The  Alster  Case 


little  from  bowing  to  low  doorways  and  chandeliers; 
though  he  could  not  have  been  more  than  twenty- 
five,  this  slight  stoop,  added  to  a  face  so  serious 
that  it  appeared  sad,  lent  him  an  appearance  of  age 
that  his  young  fine  figure  could  not  successfully  con- 
tradict except  when  his  gray  eyes  lost  their  far-away 
look.  Then  he  changed  utterly,  his  face  beamed 
with  a  whimsical  liveliness  or  with  an  impulsive  en- 
thusiasm which  gave  him  back  his  youth.  I  remem- 
ber that  my  first  impression  of  him  was  that  he  was 
a  hard-faced  man  who  must  have  been  grown  on 
a  trellis. 

But  this  expression  vanished  when  the  agent  fin- 
ished explaining  how  we  happened  to  be  caught 
trespassing.  Allan  Longstreet  turned  on  me  a  face 
from  which  the  settled  frown  lifted. 

"I'm  sorry — I'm  very,  very  sorry,  Mr.  Swan," 
he  broke  out  cordially.  "Two  days  ago  I  thought 
of  going  to  Africa  or  South  America  or  Alaska  and 
wanted  to  let  my  offices,  but  something  has  hap- 
pened since " 

By  his  manner  I  saw  it  was  something  fortunate 
— for  him. 

"In  fact,  I  haven't  any  reason  to  go  now,"  he 
went  on  quickly. 

122 


The  Alster  Case 


I  murmured  my  disappointment. 

"You  should  have  them  if  anyone  could,"  he  ex- 
claimed warmly. 

I  joined  the  agent  waiting  for  me  at  the  door  and 
bade  him  good-bye.  Longstreet  seemed  not  to  have 
heard  my  leavetaking,  his  face  had  hardened  again 
and  he  appeared  to  have  gone  back  to  his  thoughts. 
With  one  last  regretful  glance  at  so  much  of  the 
view  as  was  to  be  had  from  the  door  I  passed 
out. 

But  even  before  the  agent  had  signaled  for  the 
elevator,  Longstreet  burst  through  the  door  and 
dragged  me  back  into  the  room. 

"I've  thought  of  one  way — I  suppose  you  won't 
consider  it  for  a  minute,  but  you  won't  offend  me 
by  saying  so  frankly.  It  really  isn't  at  all  necessary 
for  me  to  hog  these  offices,  I  hardly  do  more  than 
receive  my  mail  here.  But  at  the  same  time  I  can't 
quite  bring  myself  to  give  them  up,  on  account  of 
the  view.  Suppose  I  let  them  to  you  just  as  they 
are  and  then  you  allow  me  one  of  the  desks  for  my 
own  use?  Would  that  do?" 

"I'm  afraid  not,"  I  exclaimed  reluctantly;  "you 
see,  it  would  be  necessary  to  have  the  telephone  in 

my  name  and  my  name  on  the  door  and " 

123 


The  Alster  Case 


"If  that's  all!"  He  waved  these  obstructions 
aside.  "If  you  don't  object  to  having  me  around  for 
some  few  hours  of  the  day,  too?" 

"You  mean?"  I  stared  at  him  incredulous  of  his 
generosity  and  modesty. 

"I  mean  that  I  am  seldom  here  for  more  than 
a  few  minutes  each  day.  I'm  in  my  laboratory  dur- 
ing business  hours.  Sometimes  I  run  in  here  for  a 
time  nights,  but  you  wouldn't  be  here  then,  would 
you?" 

"You  mean?" 

"I  mean  you  can  have  them  if  you  don't  mind  hav- 
ing me  about  once  in  a  while,  and  even  then,  if  you'll 
only  let  me  know,  I'll  agree  to  get  out." 

By  this  time  I  remember  that  my  surprise  changed 
to  a  faint  suspicion  of  his  motives  for  making  so  com- 
plete a  surrender  of  all  his  rights  to  me;  but  his  terms 
were  so  low  that  I  couldn't  think  of  any  reason  for 
declining  so  amazing  a  chance. 

"There !  I've  finished  here  for  the  day  already," 
he  said  after  the  merest  glance  at  the  few  letters 
he  had  brought  up  with  him.  "You  see  how  little 
I  shall  be  around  to  annoy  you."  He  laughed  and 
made  his  way  to  the  door. 

"And  you  won't  mind  my  having  a  stenographer 
124 


The  Alster  Case 


here?"  I  demanded,  doubtful  still  of  my  unlocked 
for  good  fortune. 

"Not  if  she  doesn't  chew  gum,  or  want  curtains 
put  up  between  us  and  the  view,  or  object  to  my 
absentmindedness  and  me,"  he  responded  with  a 
laugh,  and  was  off. 

There  was  something  so  lifting  about  his  gener- 
osity that  I  allowed  myself  rather  to  be  carried 
away  by  it.  I  ordered  the  telephone  put  in  my 
name;  I  called  up  the  agent  and  requested  him  to 
have  my  name  put  upon  the  door;  and  then,  with 
a  smile,  noticed  that  this  door  bore  no  name  at  all 
yet.  Then  I  made  sure  I  had  the  key  to  the  office 
he  had  left  for  me,  and  went  down  to  Avery,  Avery 
&  Avery  to  arrange  for  the  transfer  of  such  of  Miss 
Alster's  affairs  as  $he  had  permitted  them  to 
handle. 

My  return  with  authority  into  this  mill,  where  I 
had  formerly  slaved  without  credit,  was  one  of 
short  triumph.  Miss  Walsh  received  me  with  a  few 
quick  congratulatory  words;  the  other  clerks  smiled 
and  followed  me  with  their  eyes  as  one  who  has 
come  home  with  honors;  but  the  senior  Avery  sent 
out  word  for  me  to  wait  in  the  outer  office  and 
eventually  sent  Lim,  Junior,  to  deal  with  me. 

125 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes,  yes,  we'll  accept  your  notice  and  transfer 
all  her  papers  and  business  to  you  as  soon  as  it  is 
proper,"  he  agreed  brusquely,  "but — but  where  are 
you  to  be?  You  surely  don't  expect  to  carry  on 
this  business  in  your  hall  room." 

His  resentment  showed  through  in  this  fling,  but 
it  pleased  me.  I  laughed  and  told  him  of  the  offices 
I  had  secured. 

"With  Longstreet!"  His  eyebrows  went  up  and 
he  regarded  me  with  amazement.  "With  Long- 
street?"  he  demanded. 

"Yes,  what  do  you  know  against  him?"  I  de- 
manded, feeling  uncomfortable  at  his  look. 

He  continued  to  look  at  me  sharply  as  if  he  be- 
lieved that  my  innocence  was  assumed.  "Oh,  noth- 
ing that  you  don't  know,  I  guess,"  he  replied  with 
sarcasm,  dropping  me  to  disappear  into  his  private 
office. 

His  rude  leavetaking  brought  back  my  old  feel- 
ing of  outrage  against  my  late  employers,  but  hence- 
forth, thank  God,  they  would  have  but  few  chances 
to  put  me  in  my  place.  I  gathered  up  my  few  pos- 
sessions from  my  desk  and  went  to  Miss  Walsh. 
Quickly  I  informed  her  of  my  new  work  and  offices, 
and  told  her  that  I  should  need  a  capable  stenog- 

126 


The  Alster  Case 


rapher  to  take  my  letters  and  also  to  act  as  my 
office  assistant. 

"I  thought  that  perhaps  you  might  know  of  some 
experienced  girl  whom  you  could  recommend  for 
the  position,"  I  stated. 

She  lifted  her  head  and  nodded  slowly  as  if  con- 
sidering the  matter,  still  without  looking  directly 
at  me.  As  my  face  was  yet  hot  with  indignation 
at  my  contemptuous  treatment,  I  was  relieved. 
Gradually  it  dawned  on  me  that  her  eyes  were 
on  the  doors  of  the  private  offices  inhabited  by  the 
two  Averys.  v 

"Suppose  I  come  up  to  see  you  in  a  few  min- 
utes," she  suggested. 

"Do.  Thank  you."  I  said  good-bye  hastily  to 
the  other  clerks  and  hurried  back  to  my  office.  I 
had  barely  time  to  telephone  Trask  where  I  was  and 
that  I  wanted  to  have  a  long  consultation  with  him, 
before  the  door  opened  and  Miss  Walsh  stepped  in. 

"I  think  I  know  just  the  girl  for  you,"  she  said 
at  once. 

"Thank  heavens  I  I  have  so  much  to  look  after 
all  at  once  that  this  news  is  a  godsend,"  I  ex- 
claimed. "Who  is  she?  Where  can  I  find  her  at 
once?" 

127 


The  Alster  Case 


"Well,  if  you  were  to  reach  out  your  hand,  you 
would  hardly  need  a  lamplighter."  Her  eyes 
twinkled. 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  mean  that  I  would  like  the  place  myself." 

"You !"  I  looked  at  her  with  amazement.  "But 
I  can't  afford  to  engage  as  efficient  a  girl  as  you 


are." 


"You  can't  afford  to  hire  a  less  efficient  one,"  she 
retorted. 

"But  I  didn't  intend  to  pay  more  than  fifteen  dol- 
lars a  week — not  at  the  start,"  I  remonstrated. 

"That's  enough." 

"But  the  Averys  will  never  let  you  go." 

She  laughed.  "I  shall  have  something  to  say 
•about  that  myself." 

"But  not  for  a  long  time  and  I  need  an  assistant 
at  once,  to-day." 

Her  face  grew  sober  and  her  eyes  fell  on  me 
sharply.  "Don't  you  want  me  for  the  position?" 
she  demanded,  with  obvious  disappointment. 

"Why,  yes,  but "     I  stopped  confused. 

"Then  I  want  the  place  and  I  feel  sure  I  can 
come  at  once.  Listen!  This  is  what  will  happen. 
I  will  go  right  down  and  tell  Lim,  Junior,  that  I 

128 


The  Alster  Case 


must  give  him  notice,  that  I  have  taken  another 
place.  The  minute  he  learns  I  am  going  to  work 
for  you,  he  will  be  so  angry  that  he  will  say  I  can 
pack  up  and  go  at  once.  They  always  can  be  de- 
pended upon  to  bite  off  their  own  noses." 

And  events  turned  out  quite  as  she  predicted. 
Within  half  an  hour  she  was  back  in  my  office;  and, 
for  fifteen  dollars  a  week,  I  employed  one  of  the 
most  capable  stenographers  any  New  York  lawyer 
ever  had,  one  sufficiently  informed  regarding  the 
business  of  Miss  Alster's  estate  to  attend  to  the 
details  and  leave  me  free  to  look  after  other  affairs 
temporarily  more  important. 

We  had  barely  got  settled  when  Trask  appeared. 
He  nodded  and  seated  himself  in  the  chair  beside 
me,  after  a  cursory  glance  at  Miss  Walsh  and  about 
the  office. 

"I  sent  for  you  because  I  felt  it  was  time  we 
came  to  an  understanding,"  I  began. 

He  made  no  reply;  he  continued  to  gaze  dully 
at  the  door,  his  profile  toward  me. 

"Don't  you  think  it  is?"  I  demanded. 

"Per-haps." 

His  reserve  warned  me  that  probably  he  did  not 
care  to  talk  before  Miss  Walsh.  I  turned  to  ask 

129 


The  Alster  Case 


her  to  excuse  us,  but  she  was  already  disappearing 
into  the  other  office. 

Trask  waited  until  she  had  closed  the  door  be- 
tween. "Bright  girl  that,"  he  commented.  "Now 
I'm  ready  to  listen  to  your  interference,"  he  said 
crisply. 

I  looked  at  him.  "I'm  sorry  you  look  on  it  that 
way,  but  as  head  of  this  estate  I  feel  it  my  duty 
to  keep  in  touch  with  your  investigation,  and  to 
learn  each  day  what  steps  you  have  taken  to  solve 
the  mystery  of  Miss  Alster's  death,"  I  declared 
stoutly. 

"On  any  such  understanding  as  that,  I  refuse  to 
work  on  the  case,"  he  replied  coldly. 

I  felt  the  decision  in  his  tone.  "But  I  want  to 
know  everything  so  that  I  can  help  you.  I  want 
to  learn  everything  so " 

"So  that  you  can  protect  Miss  Beatrice?"  he 
interrupted  quickly.  "Is  that  it?" 

He  was  looking  at  me.     I  blushed. 

"Is  that  it?    Say  it  I"  he  commanded. 

I  nodded. 

"Very  well.  That's  different,"  he  stated.  "If 
you  were  going  to  attempt  to  mix  into  this  case 
because  you  thought  you  could  help  me,  or  if  you 

130 


The  Alster  Case 


intended  to  direct  what  I  was  and  was  not  to  do, 
our  connection  would  end  right  here.  You  under- 
stand that?"  He  regarded  me  sternly  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  smiled.  "But  so  long  as  you  are  doing 
it  merely  for  the  girl's  sake,  why,  I'll  stand  for 
it — yes,  I'll  break  my  rule  and  stand  for  it,  but 
on  one  condition." 

"What  is  that?"  I  asked  more  meekly. 

"That  you'll  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I 
consider  Miss  Beatrice  innocent." 

I  nodded. 

"And  that  you'll  do  your  best  to  control  your- 
self when  you  find  how  busy  I  am  running  out 
her  reasons  for  keeping  silent  about  important  mat- 
ters. Can  I  rely  upon  you  for  that?"  He  regarded 
me  severely. 

"I'll  do  my  utmost.  I  think  you  must  believe 
she  is  innocent,  no  matter  how  strange  her  actions 
appear,"  I  agreed  hastily,  seeing  that  no  other 
course  was  open  to  me. 

"Very  well,  I'll  try  you,"  Trask  stated,  "and 
remember  this,  on  the  way  you  act  about  the  news 
I  am  now  going  to  tell  you  depends  whether  I  con- 
tinue on  this  case  or  drop  it." 

There  was  something  ominous  about  his  silence 


The  Alster  Case 


that  thoroughly  subdued  me.  I  prepared  for  the 
unexpected. 

"I  am  on  the  trail  of  the  man  who  was  in  the 
library  with  Miss  Beatrice  on  the  night  of  the  mur- 
der," he  began. 

"If  there  was  any  man  there "  I  interrupted 

hotly,  and  then  bit  my  tongue. 

"We  are  way  beyond  that,"  he  went  on  imper- 
turbably  after  a  look  at  me.  "The  transfer  I  found 
removed  any  doubt  of  that.  And  certain  other  hap- 
penings at  the  house  last  night  led  straight  toward 
the  man.  About  ten  o'clock  last  night  Miss  Beatrice 
left  the  house  to  mail  a  letter.  The  letter  was 
unquestionably  to  him." 

"You  followed  her?  You  learned  the  address?" 
I  demanded. 

"I  followed  her,  but  the  United  States  mails  allow 
us  no  liberties  in  a  case  like  this,"  he  replied,  "so 
as  soon  as  I  made  sure  that  this  was  her  only  rea- 
son for  leaving  the  house  I  hurried  back  into  it 
ahead  of  her." 

"Oh!"  Some  of  the  sounds  I  had  heard  in  the 
house  the  previous  night  were  beginning  to  be  ac- 
counted for.  "Then  you  heard  her  telephone?" 

"Yes."  He  smiled  and  his  eyes  watched  mine. 
132 


The  Alster  Case 


"The  moment  after  she  raised  the  receiver  from 
the  hall  telephone  downstairs,  I  lifted  the  one  on 
the  switch  to  the  same  instrument  that  runs  into 
the  late  Miss  Alster's  room." 

I  felt  my  ire  rising  against  him  for  the  means 
he  had  taken  to  satisfy  his  curiosity.  I  restrained 
it  only  with  difficulty. 

"I  heard  not  only  all  that  happened  at  the  'phone 
then,"  he  went  on  studying  me  narrowly,  "but  also 
all  that  happened  when  you  answered  the  'phone 
for  Miss  Linda,"  he  went  on  as  if  determined  to 
show  his  worst. 

"But  you  aren't  saying  a  word  about  this  man, 
and  he  may  have  been  the  person  heard  talking 
in  Miss  Linda's  room,"  I  broke  in  petulantly. 

"No,  I've  never  yet  found  that  a  mystery  was 
solved  by  traveling  along  a  number  of  trails  at 
once  or  by  running  around  in  circles,"  Trask  re- 
plied caustically.  "And  perhaps  by  following  the 
trail  to  one  man  we  shall  come  upon  the  other  man." 

"But  Miss  Beatrice  didn't  ask  for  anything  except 
a  number.  You  mean  you  found  to  whom  Morn- 
ingside  6873  belongs?" 

"Yes."    Trask  waited,  he  forced  me  to  ask  it. 

"To  whom?" 

133 


The  Alster  Case 


"As  a  lawyer  who  reads  the  newspapers  you 
doubtless  have  read  a  lot  about  the  Old  Hyena  of 
Wall  Street." 

"You  mean  that  this  number "  I  began  and 

stopped  short. 

"I  mean  that  Morningside  6873  is  the  secret 
telephone  number  of  the  house  of  Jim  Longstreet, 
known  as  the  Old  Hyena,  the  Lone  Wolf  of  Wall 
Street,  and  a  number  of  other  equally  reprehensible 
titles;  and  I'm  as  sure  as  I  am  that  I  am  breathing 
now  that  the  man  in  the  library  with  Miss  Beatrice 
on  the  night  of  the  murder  was  someone  who  lives 
in  his  house."  Trask's  voice  changed  and  became 
almost  fatherly.  "There,  there,  my  boy,  I  didn't 
really  mean  to  hit  you  as  hard  as  that,  only — why, 
what's  the  matter?" 

"Nothing,"  I  managed  to  reply,  "nothing,  only 
this  is  Longstreet's  only  son's  office  and  he  all  but 
forced  it  on  me  this  morning." 


IX 

TRASK  merely  sat  there  silently  listening, 
while  I  continued  to  argue  vehemently 
that  Beatrice  was  above  suspicion.  Not 
by  a  look  or  movement  did  he  afford  me  reason 
to  believe  that  my  long  and  passionate  exhortation 
prevailed  upon  him  in  the  least.  But  now  he  rose 
quietly,  yet  with  an  alertness  that  told  me  he  had 
made  up  his  mind. 

"All  you  say,"  he  announced,  "does  credit  to 
your  heart  but  not  to  your  head.  You  are  rea- 
soning from  feelings  and  I  from  facts.  And  now 
it  is  my  unpleasant  duty  to  put  you  up  against 
certain  facts  that  are  not  lightly  to  be  shoved  aside 
if  this  mystery  is  to  be  solved.  In  the  first  place, 
you  must  put  out  of  your  mind  for  once  and  all 
any  notion  that  this  is  a  case  of  suicide." 

"Why  then  the  Maxim  silencer?"  I  persisted. 

"A  mere  whim  on  the  part  of  an  old  maid  always 
indulging  queer  fancies."  Trask  disposed  of  this 
question  with  a  gesture.  "In  a  case  as  involved 
as  this,  the  only  hope  of  ever  getting  anywhere  is 

135 


The  Alster  Case 


through  the  elimination  of  all  questions  that  lead 
nowhere.  The  idea  of  suicide  is  absolutely  un- 
tenable. No  more  of  that.  We  have  six  other  ques- 
tions, the  answers  to  which  would  lead  somewhere, 
and  we  must  concentrate  our  attention  on  these. 
Now,  if  you  can  answer  these  questions  satisfac- 
torily to  me,  you  will  save  me  a  lot  of  time.  Here 
they  are.  Who  was  the  man  heard  talking  in  Miss 
Linda's  room  on  the  night  of  the  murder?  Which 
one  of  the  four  women  who  were  in  the  room  yes- 
terday morning  put  back  the  key  in  the  door?  When 
and  why  did  Keith,  the  butler,  vanish  from  the 
house?" 

"If  you  were  only  working  to  secure  answers  to 
those  questions  I  wouldn't  mind,"  I  interrupted 
doggedly. 

"I  am." 

I  looked  at  him  questioningly,  but  he  declined  to 
indulge  my  curiosity. 

"But  the  three  things  we  must  learn  first,"  he 
went  on,  "also  the  three  things  we  are  likeliest  to 
learn  first,  are:  What  was  Miss  Beatrice's  quarrel 
about  with  her  aunt?" 

"Probably  over  nothing  of  consequence." 

"Probably;  but — what  is  this  power  Miss  Linda 
136 


The  Alster  Case 


holds  over  Miss  Beatrice,  through  which  she  forces 
her  to  hand  over  to  her  half  of  her  inheritance?" 

I  stood  looking  at  him  blankly.  I  had  not  been 
able  to  think  of  any  explanation  of  this  myself. 

"And  why  was  Mr.  Longstreet  in  the  library 
with  her  that  night,  and  Miss  Beatrice  so  determined 
since  not  to  have  it  known?" 

"Let  me  ask  him  if  he  was  there  the  next  time 
he  comes  in  here,"  I  cried. 

"No."      Trask  was   unwontedly   emphatic. 

"Ah,  you  suspect  him!"  I  exclaimed. 

"I  suspect  everyone." 

"That's  because  you  don't  know  him,"  I  re- 
torted, glad  to  debate  a  matter  with  him  where  the 
ground  under  me  felt  sure.  "Allan  Longstreet  is 
one  of  the  finest  young  fellows  I  have  ever  met — 
good-hearted,  high-principled,  generous.  If  he  was 
with  Miss  Beatrice  on  the  night  of  the  murder,  he 
must  have  called  casually  and  left  early;  he  could 
have  had  no  criminal  motive  for  being  there,  noth- 
ing that  warrants  you  to  suspect  him." 

Trask  looked  at  me  sharply  for  a  moment,  but 
said  nothing. 

"If  you  won't  let  me  clear  up  this  matter  by 
asking  him  about  it,  let  me  ask  her,"  I  urged. 

137 


The  Alster  Case 


"Do  you  think  you  had  better?" 

"Yes— why  not?" 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  Trask  con- 
fused. He  left  me  abruptly  and  took  a  turn  up  the 
office.  "Very  well,  ask  her — if  you  think  best,"  he 
agreed  at  last  and  departed  hurriedly,  as  if  leav- 
ing me  to  a  fate  I  had  persisted  in  bringing  down 
on  myself. 

Somewhat  dismayed,  I  called  back  Miss  Walsh 
and  dictated  an  advertisement  seeking  information 
regarding  Keith.  Although  I  specified  our  desire 
to  have  copies  dispatched  to  the  newspapers  at 
once,  she  did  not  return  to  her  desk  immediately, 
but  lingered  inexplainably  at  mine. 

"One  of  the  heirs  has  everything  on  the  other 
as  to  looks,  hasn't  she?"  she  asked  me  suddenly  out 
of  a  clear  sky. 

"Yes,  Miss  Beatrice,"  I  asserted  warmly;  "have 
you  ever  seen  her?" 

"No."  Her  eyes  slipped  away  from  mine  and 
she  started  toward  her  desk  as  if  she  had  learned 
all  she  wished. 

"Then  how  did  you  know  that?"  I  was  inter- 
ested. Most  people  considered  Linda  the  prettier. 

"I  didn't,"  she  answered  without  stopping;  "I 
138 


The  Alster  Case 


just  guessed,"  and  then  she  added  as  if  feeling  some 
further  explanation  necessary,  "You  know  women 
have  intuitions  about  such  things." 

An  intuition  as  to  which  of  two  unseen  girls  was 
the  more  attractive!  It  was  preposterous.  How- 
ever, I  wasted  no  thought  upon  it,  but  left  the 
office.  I  reached  the  street  before  I  realized  I  had 
left  my  key  to  the  Alster  residence  in  my  desk  and 
had  to  return  for  it.  Propped  up  against  my  ink- 
stand was  a  card  on  which  was  typewritten: 

FOOLISH  ANSWER  No.  i 

A  western  cyclone  has  been  known  to  drive  a  com- 
mon straw  straight  through  the  trunk  of  a  tree. 

Miss  Walsh  must  have  prepared  and  placed  it 
there,  but  for  the  life  of  me  I  couldn't  see  any 
significance  it  possessed  for  me,  so  I  just  smiled  at 
her  inanely  and  hurried  away  to  Beatrice. 

As  I  entered  the  house  I  came  upon  Linda  in  her 
furs  making  a  last  approving  inspection  of  herself 
in  the  hall  mirror.  She  nodded  to  me  lightly  and 
moved  on  toward  the  door. 

"Are  you  going  back  to  General  Alster's?"  I 
asked  her. 

139 


The  Alster  Case 


"Going  back  there?  Well,  I  should  say  not!" 
She  disposed  of  the  idea  with  a  quick  and  scorn- 
ful petulance.  "I  went  because  I  thought  I  would 
have  more  freedom  there;  and  they  wouldn't  even 
let  me  go  out — said  I  ought  to  remain  in  hiding 
for  a  few  days  .at  least  on  account  of  auntie's  death. 
They  were  "quite  as  bad  as  auntie  about  it,  so  I'm 
back  here  for  good  or  until — when  are  you  going 
to  read  us  the  will,  Mr.  Swan?" 

"Why,  the  funeral  isn't  until  to-morrow,"  I  ex- 
postulated. 

"And  you  won't  read  it  until  after  that?"  She 
seemed  aggrieved. 

"No — that  is — well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  hadn't 
thought  anything  about  it,"  I  stammered. 

"No,  of  course  not.  But  as  one  of  the  inter- 
ested parties  I  hope  you  won't  keep  us  in  suspense 
any  longer  than  is  necessary.  Why  can't  you  read 
it  to  us  to-morrow  when  we  get  back  from  the 
funeral?" 

"I  suppose  I  could  if " 

"Oh,  I'll  see  that  Beatrice  doesn't  object,"  she 
said  with  a  smile. 

I  did  not  like  that  smile,  and  she  still  lavished 
it  on  me  as  she  backed  away  toward  the  door.  I 

140 


The  Alster  Case 


had  already  placed  a  foot  upon  the  bottom  stair 
when  she  called  after  me,  "I  suppose  at  best  it 
will  be  a  long  time  before  we  shall  come  into  pos- 
session of  what  has  been  promised  us." 

I  nodded.  I  foresaw  her  anger  when  she  learned 
the  provisions  of  the  will,  and  did  not  relish  hav- 
ing any  argument  with  'her  there  and  then.  So  I 
merely  nodded. 

She  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  came  hur- 
rying toward  me.  "General  Alster  told  me  that 
you  have  full  powers,  so  I  do  want  to  keep  on  the 
best  side  of  you,"  she  said  eagerly.  "Will  you 
let  me?" 

"Why — of  course."  I  stared  at  her  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"I'll  be  much  nicer  to  Bee  if  you'll  only  listen 
to  me  a  little,"  she  went  on  with  a  laugh. 

"Why — what  do  you  mean?"  I  demanded. 

"You  know."  She  bobbed  her  head  at  me. 
"Everyone  can  see  that  you  think  the  sun  just  rises 
and  sets  in  her,  and  that  you'll  be  governed  by  her 
wishes  entirely." 

"I'm  sure  I  shall  try  to  be  fair  to  her  as  well 
as  to  you,"  I  exclaimed,  my  anger  rising. 

"Well,  we'll  see.  Now,  don't  get  angry!"  She 
141 


The  Alster  Case 


smiled  and  raised  a  finger  in  coquettish  defiance. 
"You  really  will  listen  to  me?" 

I  nodded,  eager  to  escape. 

"Well  then,  there's  one  thing  I  want  to  suggest 
to  you  now.  Auntie  wouldn't  have  an  automobile 
because  she  knew  how  useful  it  would  be  to  us 
girls.  Can't  we  have  a  car  now?  Won't  you  order 
one  at  once?  It's  dreadful  having  to  go  shopping 
and  calling  in  the  cars  or  in  those  dirty,  common 
taxis.  Will  you?" 

"I I "  I  hardly  knew  what  to  say  to 

her. 

"Ah,  you  don't  know  what  to  say  about  it  until 
you  have  talked  it  over  with  Bee,"  she  accused  me, 
with  a  laugh. 

"I  suppose  I  ought  to  learn  her  wishes  on  the 
matter." 

"Well,"  Linda  stood  silently  looking  at  me  for 
a  few  instants,  "well,  don't  speak  to  her  about  it 
now.  I  haven't  told  her  I  wanted  one  yet." 

Something  in  her  tone  irritated  me  still  more. 
"You  seem  to  be  very  confident  that  she  will  want 
whatever  you  want  her  to,"  I  blurted  out. 

"I — well,  you  wait  and  see!"  With  an  assured 
little  laugh  Linda  left  me  and  disappeared  through 

142 


The  Alster  Case 


the  door  after  a  parting  smile  and  wave  of  her 
hand. 

I  found  Beatrice  in  the  library  upstairs  and  real- 
ized that  our  conversation  must  have  carried  to 
her  through  the  open  door,  but  Linda's  request 
appeared  so  trivial  beside  the  matter  in  hand,  that 
it  passed  quickly  out  of  mind.  Beatrice  rose  and 
met  me  calmly,  appearing  much  more  composed 
than  on  the  previous  day,  but  her  fine  dark  head 
drooped  a  little  lower  than  usual  as  under  un- 
wonted burdens  and  her  manner  was  strangely  pre- 
occupied. 

"It  is  very  kind  of  you  and  Mr.  Trask  to  stay 
on  with  us,"  she  said  as  soon  as  we  were  seated  and 
I  was  wondering  how  to  preface  the  questions  I 
had  undertaken  to  ask  her. 

"Trask?  Is  he  staying  here,  too?"  I  asked  with 
surprise. 

"Yes,  and  I  like  him  very  much,"  she  said  quickly, 
defending  him  against  my  tone. 

"Yes,  he's  a  very  decent  sort — for  a  detective," 
I  added,  to  learn  if  she  were  aware  of  his  occu- 
pation. 

She  must  have  noticed,  but  she  gave  no  sign  of 
it.  "You'll  do  as  Linda  wants  about  reading  the 

143 


The  Alster  Case 


will?"  she  asked  instead  after  a  short,  irksome  si- 
lence. 

"You'll  be  equal  to  hearing  it  read  so  soon?"  I 
demanded. 

"Oh  yes."  She  disposed  of  the  matter  quickly 
as  if  unwilling  to  argue  it. 

"I  hired  Mr.  Trask  at  General  Alster's  sugges- 
tion," I  went  on,  leading  toward  the  questions  I 
must  ask  her.  "He  thought " 

"Yes,  I  realize  that  someone  must  conduct  the 
investigation,  and  it  will  be  so  much  better  to  have 
it  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Trask  than  in  those  of  the 
police,"  she  interrupted,  as  if  to  save  me  the  un- 
pleasant duty  of  referring  to  the  strange  circum- 
stances of  her  aunt's  death.  "I  heard  Linda  ask 
you  if  we  could  have  a  car;  can  we?" 

"Why,  I  suppose  so,  as  soon  as  things  are 
straightened  out  a  little,"  I  stammered,  even  more 
astonished  at  her  request  than  at  Linda's.  What 
power  had  this  girl  gained  over  her?  I  dared  not 
ask  my  question,  nor  show  my  confusion  and  dis- 
may. "What  kind  of  car  do  you  want?"  I  asked 
to  cover  my  feelings. 

"I  don't  know.  Whatever  kind  or  make  Linda 
prefers.  I  wish  you  would  talk  it  over  with  her," 

144 


The  Alster  Case 


she  said  indifferently;  and  then  her  voice  warmed 
suddenly  as  if  to  prevent  her  apathy  from  being 
misinterpreted.  "Poor  little  Linda,  she  has  felt 
so  mortified  at  not  having  a  car,  as  nearly  everyone 
we  know  has.  Just  telling  her  she  can  have  it  will 
make  her  so  much  more  contented,  and — and  we 
do  need  one,"  she  wound  up  lamely. 

I  forgot  all  about  my  errand  in  her  pathetic  sub- 
jection to  Linda's  whims.  I  felt  a  sense  of  per- 
sonal outrage  that  this  girl  who  was  suffering  so 
keenly  over  her  aunt's  death  should  have  been 
forced  to  listen  to  them. 

"You  have  had  a  long  talk  with  her  since  she 
got  back?"  I  inquired. 

"N-o,  only  a  few  minutes  this  morning,"  she  re- 
plied. 

"You  realize  that  she  was  just  as  discontented  at 
General  Alster's  as  she  has  always  been  here?" 

"Yes— poor  child!" 

"Well,"  I  hesitated,  but  I  had  to  say  it,  "I  hope 
you  aren't  going  to  attempt  the  impossible.  I  hope 
you  aren't  going  to  devote  yourself  to  trying  to 
make  her  happy.  I  hope  you  aren't  going  to  allow 
her  to  order  you  about  as  if "  I  stopped  be- 
cause she  had  risen  and  I  feared  I  had  gone  too 

145 


The  Alster  Case 


far.  "I  wouldn't  have  said  this,"  I  went  on,  "only 
this  calamity  seems  to  have  made  no  more  impres- 
sion on  Linda  than  on  a  kitten,  and  it  seems  unfair 
that  she  should  let  you  bear  the  brunt  of  it  and 
then " 

It  was  her  look  that  held  me  this  time  and  I  saw 
I  had  gone  too  far,  but  there  was  no  stopping  me 
now.  "I  don't  think  you  realize  how  it  looks,"  I 
burst  out.  "She  merely  announces  what  she  wants 
and  you  fly  to  get  it  for  her  regardless  of  your  own 
desires.  In  the  case  of  an  automobile  I  happen  to 
know  that  you " 

"You're  mistaken.     I  want  one — now." 

"Yes  but " 

"You'll  oblige  me,  Mr.  Swan,  if  you'll  say  noth- 
ing more  about  it,  if  you'll  simply  get  it." 

"It  looks  as  if  she  had  you  in  her  power,  as  if 
for  some  reason  you  were  not  in  a  position  to  deny 
her  anything  she  asked  of  you." 

"I  can't  help  how  it  looks.  I  don't  care  how  it 
looks.  I  am  merely  asking  you  to  do  what  you 
can  to — to  keep  peace  in  the  family." 

The  break  in  her  voice  stilled  my  rage  at  once. 
I  stood  in  rueful  silence  looking  at  her  plaintive 
face  and  every  other  feeling  was  lost  in  compas- 

146 


The  Alster  Case 


sion.  "I  hope  you  realize  that  I  wouldn't  have 
talked  this  way  to  you  if  I  didn't  care,"  I  apolo- 
gized. 

"Yes,  of  course,"  she  smiled  wanly. 

"Then  tell  me  what  it  is,"  I  pleaded.  "Tell  me 
what  it  is  Linda  knows  that  you  dread  to  have  her 
tell.  I  won't  tell  a  soul  if  you  don't  want  me  to 
after  we  have  talked  it  over.  I  am  not  asking  this 
just  out  of  idle  curiosity.  I  want  to  help  you,  I 
want  to  get  you  out  of  a  position  that  is  directing 
perfectly  absurd  suspicion  at  you.  Let  me  help 
you,  won't  you?" 

"You  can't." 

I  was  dismayed  at  the  coldness  and  firmness  of 
her  response.  "Has  it  anything  to  do  with  the 
man  or  men  who  were  in  this  house  the  night  before 
last?" 

"Why  do  you  ask  me  that?" 

"Because  people  are  thinking  that." 

"What  people  are  thinking  that?" 

"Why,  Trask  and  I  and — can't  you  see  that  your 
silence  allows  us  to  place  no  other  construction 
upon  it?  It  has  already  convinced  them  that  there 
was  a  man  here,  as  Agnes  testified.  It  has  all  but 
convinced  them  that  this  man " 


The  Alster  Case 


"Stop!" 

There  was  a  severity  in  her  tone  and  a  look  in 
her  eyes  that  checked  me  instantly,  warning  me 
that  I  had  provoked  her  beyond  endurance,  that 
told  me  plainly  that,  however  unselfish  my  inten- 
tions, I  could  pursue  this  inquiry  further  only  at 
the  risk  of  losing  her  friendship.  And  then,  as  I 
stared  at  her,  the  white  look  on  her  face  and  the 
fiery  glare  in  her  eyes  warned  me  of  something  more, 
filled  me  with  a  great  fear.  I  was  as  nothing  to  her 
compared  with  her  secret.  I  was  as  nothing  to 
her  compared  with — was  it  Linda  or  this  man  whom 
she  was  shielding?  My  mouth  went  suddenly  dry. 
I  longed  to  ask  her  if  it  was  another  man  beside 
whom  I  appeared  as  nothing  to  her.  I  dared  not. 
The  conviction  that  it  was  came  upon  me  from  be- 
hind, put  its  arms  around  me  and  pulled  me  to  the 
ground,  gagged  me,  bound  me,  made  it  impossible 
for  me  to  do  anything  except  stand  there  staring 
speechlessly,  helplessly  at  her,  the  fear  making  me 
meeker  with  every  second. 

And  then  suddenly  she  seemed  to  guess  or  per- 
ceive my  abject  condition.  Her  eyes  softened,  her 
tone  became  casual  and  she  led  the  talk  away  to 
other  matters.  For  a  long  time  I  heard  only  the 

148 


The  Alster  Case 


soothing  sound  of  her  voice;  her  words  found  no 
entrance  into  my  mind,  the  mishap  that  had  be- 
fallen all  my  hopes  and  plans  left  room  for  thought 
of  nothing  else.  And  yet  I  must  give  her  credit. 
She  overlooked  my  plight;  she  talked  on  and  on 
without  looking  at  me  or  requiring  any  response. 
Slowly  it  dawned  on  me  that  she  was  calling  me 
by  my  first  name,  that  I  must  make  an  effort  to 
cover  up  my  share  of  the  embarrassing  situation. 
I  began  to  listen  and  to  murmur  responses. 

"You'll  arrange  to  transfer  to  Linda  half  of 
whatever  may  be  coming  to  me  under  the  will?" 

"Yes."  Linda  and  her  attitude  toward  Linda 
mattered  nothing  to  me  now. 

"And  until  you  can  do  that  you'll  see  that  she 
receives  half  of  whatever  income  may  be  due  me?" 

I  nodded. 

"And "  she  hesitated  and  seemed  to  ask  this 

against  her  wishes,  "and  you'll  let  me  have  a  thou- 
sand dollars — for  something  personal  as  soon  as 
you  conveniently  can?" 

I  agreed.  I  would  have  agreed  to  anything  by 
this  time  in  order  to  get  away  by  myself. 

Finally  I  expressed  an  intention  of  seeing  her 
again  later  and  escaped  awkwardly  into  the  hall. 

149 


The  Alster  Case 


I  had  a  glimpse  of  someone  issuing  from  the  room 
further  down  the  hall,  but  it  meant  nothing  to  me. 
I  closed  the  door  tightly,  and  as  I  did  so  a  voice 
whispered  over  my  shoulder: 

"When  you  give  her  that  money  be  sure  to  give 
it  to  her  in  the  form  of  a  check." 

I  turned  dully,  not  sure  that  those  words  had 
really  been  spoken.  It  was  Trask. 

"You  damned,  dirty,  low  eavesdropper,"  I  cried, 
pushing  him  aside  and  making  for  the  stairs. 

He  did  not  answer  me.    He  merely  smiled. 


I  SPENT  several  hours  alone  in  my  room,  and 
I  left  it  a  different  man.  It  is  true  that  Be- 
atrice had  never  offered  me  any  encourage- 
ment and  that  my  suit  for  her  hand  was  an  ex- 
traordinary one,  but  extraordinary  hopes  bring 
about  extraordinary  changes  when  someone  knocks 
down  one's  house  of  cards.  She  had  swept  away 
all  my  hopes,  and  I  felt  bitter  toward  her,  toward 
everyone,  and  especially  toward  the  man,  whoever 
he  was,  whom  she  unquestionably  preferred  to  me. 
Let  this  explain  the  change  in  my  attitude  respecting 
her  with  Trask. , 

As  I  came  downstairs  I  observed  Agnes  in  the 
front  hall  with  a  small,  square,  blue  box  which  she 
had  just  received  at  the  door.  At  a  glance  I  knew 
it  for  a  box  of  violets  from  one  of  New  York's 
best  florists. 

"For  Miss  Beatrice?  I'll  take  that  up  to  her. 
I'm  going  right  upstairs,"  exclaimed  Trask,  sud- 
denly appearing  from  the  back  of  the  hall. 

As  he  brushed  past  me  on  the  stairs,  I  found 


The  Alster  Case 


time  to  whisper,   "I'll  do  as  you  said  about  the 
money." 

"That's  more  like  it,"  he  replied  with  an  ap- 
proving smile,  and  went  on  without  waiting. 

I  hurried  to  my  office,  intending  to  keep  busy 
there  so  long  that  I  should  not  have  to  dine  at  the 
house  and  face  Beatrice.  Miss  Walsh  welcomed 
me  with  a  smile,  and  came  at  once  to  my  desk  to 
report  on  a  number  of  matters  that  had  come  up 
during  my  absence.  She  had  handled  them  with  dis- 
cretion, quite  as  well  as  if  I  had  been  there  myself 
to  attend  to  them.  It  was  on  the  tip  of  my  tongue 
to  compliment  her,  but  I  was  in  no  mood  for  com- 
pliments. I  recalled  my  earlier  intention  of  in- 
creasing her  salary  to  what  she  had  been  getting 
with  Avery,  Avery  &  Avery,  but  I  put  it  off.  She 
seemed  to  have  something  on  her  mind. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Longstreet  was  in,"  she  informed  me 
at  last. 

"Was  he?"  I  asked,  subduing  my  feeling  of  per- 
sonal outrage  against  him. 

"Yes,  and  he  wanted  to  know  if  I  would  have 
time  to  take  care  of  his  mail,  too." 

I  pretended  to  be  absorbed  in  the  lease  I  was 
reading.  "Well,  what  did  you  tell  him?" 

152 


The  Alster  Case 


"I  told  him  I  couldn't  think  of  agreeing  until 
I  learned  how  you  felt  about  it." 

"Well,  I'm  willing,"  I  snapped,  "but  you  know 
what  the  rich  are.  I'll  wager  he  won't  want  to 
pay  you  anything  for  it." 

"Fifteen  dollars  was  the  bribe  he  offered,"  she 
announced  without  a  smile. 

"Ah,  a  month?" 

"No,  a  week." 

"You  take  it.  You  take  all  you  can  get  from 
him,"  I  cried  in  a  greater  fury;  and  then,  observ- 
ing her  surprise,  came  to  my  senses.  "Take  it. 
With  the  twenty  dollars  which  I  intend  to  pay 
you  from  now  on  you'll  be  getting  five  dol- 
lars more  than  you  were  downstairs,"  I  counseled 
her  coolly. 

"I  won't  take  a  raise  from  you  yet,"  she  affirmed 
stoutly. 

"Why  not?" 

I  had  never  seen  Miss  Walsh's  eyes  drop  be- 
fore those  of  any  man  before.  I  thought  I  saw 
faint  signs  of  a  blush  as  I  pressed  her  vainly  for  a 
reason,  so  I  soon  gave  up,  not  daring  to  run  any 
risk  of  losing  her  invaluable  services.  Could  she 
be  interested  in  Longstreet,  too?  It  shows  my  un- 

153 


The  Alster  Case 


reasoning  jealousy  of  him  that  I  dreamed  of  such 
a  thing. 

"Does  Miss  Beatrice  take  the  death  of  her  aunt 
very  much  to  heart?"  Miss  Walsh  asked  me  sud- 
denly from  the  other  end  of  the  office. 

"Yes,  she's  the  only  one  that  does.  She's  the 
only  one  in  the  house  that  seems  to  have  any  heart. 

She "  I  brought  my  eulogy  of  her  to  a  stop, 

suddenly  recalling  my  intended  change  of  attitude 
toward  her. 

There  was  no  sound  from  the  other  end  of  the 
room  for  several  minutes,  though  I  felt  Miss 
Walsh's  eyes  on  me.  Then  her  typewriter  began 
to  click  furiously. 

I  pretended  to  work  until  her  hour  arrived  for 
leaving,  and  when  she  remained  made  it  plain  that 
I  wished  the  office  to  myself.  She  placed  some  pa- 
pers on  my  desk  requiring  my  signature  and  left 
without  taking  offense.  But  when  I  came  to  look 
over  these  papers  I  found  among  them  another  card 
on  which  she  had  typewritten : 

FOOLISH  ANSWER  No.  2. 

Someone  pushed  an  insufferable  optimist  off  the 
I  roof  of  a  twenty-story  building.  In  at  each  floor  as 
V  he  went  down,  he  yelled,  "All  right,  so  far!" 

V  154 


The  Alster  Case 


I  placed  it  back  on  her  desk  after  the  merest 
smile.  Thinking  she  must  have  typewritten  this  to 
send  to  someone  else,  I  dropped  into  my  chair  with 
a  sigh  of  relief  at  being  alone  at  last.  Until  long 
after  eight  o'clock  I  sat  there,  still  stewing  in  my 
new-found  bitterness  toward  Allan  Longstreet,  and 
hoping  that  he  might  unexpectedly  come  in  so  I 
could  question  him  and  make  up  my  mind  whether 
or  not  he  was  the  man  in  the  library  on  the  night 
of  the  murder.  I  debated  my  impulse  to  give  up 
his  office.  I  imagined  I  was  doing  it,  acted  my 
scornful  part  in  a  furious  scene  that  lasted  uncount- 
ed minutes  and  left  me  as  worn  out  as  if  the 
clash  had  occurred.  And  when,  exhausted,  I 
thought  better  of  my  intention,  the  suspicion 
suddenly  burst  upon  me  that  while  I  was  waiting 
here  he  might  be  calling  upon  Beatrice  at  the 
house.  Instantly  I  seized  my  hat  and  coat  and  hur- 
ried there. 

I  heard  voices  in  the  reception  room  downstairs. 
The  man's  voice  sounded  familiar;  the  girl's  voice 
sounded  more  like  Linda's;  but  convinced  that  my 
fears  had  come  true  I  stole  by  upstairs.  It  was 
with  astonishment,  almost  with  disappointment,  that 
I  found  Beatrice  at  the  head  of  the  stairway  to 

155 


The  Alster  Case 


my  floor,  waiting  as  if  she  had  been  on  the  lookout 
for  my  return. 

"We  missed  you  at  dinner,  Robert,"  she  said  with 
a  kindness  that  I  would  earlier  have  joyed  in. 

"I  couldn't  get  away  any  sooner.  I  hope  noth- 
ing happened  that  would  have  made  my  presence 
useful,"  I  returned,  my  voice  involuntarily  tinged 
with  a  little  sarcasm. 

She  looked  at  me.  For  a  moment  I  thought  I 
had  roused  her  anger  again.  Then  she  went  on  in 
the  same  tone  as  before: 

"You're  overworking.  Come  down  into  the  li- 
brary with  me  a  while  and  rest.  I'm  all  alone." 

"Not  to-night,  if  you  don't  mind,"  some  surly 
brute  inside  me  forced  a  second  rebuff  to  her  peace 
offerings.  Who  was  I  to  be  cajoled  thus  quickly 
back  into  second  place  in  her  affections?  And  yet 
the  little  start  she  made  hurt  me.  "Oh,  here  is 
the  check  you  wanted,"  I  announced  to  relieve  my 
own  embarrassment. 

She  took  it  with  a  "Thank  you.  Good  night, 
then,"  gentle  as  all  her  words  before,  left  me,  and 
went  along  the  hall  to  her  own  room.  I  opened 
the  door  of  my  room  and  entered.  In  the  most 
comfortable  chair,  drawn  up  to  the  light,  reading, 

156 


The  Alster  Case 


sat  Trask,  as  if  he  also  had  been  lying  in  wait  for 
me. 

"Ah!"  he  permitted  the  magazine  to  drop  in  his 
lap,  "I  have  been  appointed  a  committee  of  one 
by  the  two  girls  to  inform  you  that  your  absence 
at  dinner  was  noticed  and  commented  upon  and 
must  not  be  allowed  to  happen  again." 

I  laughed  scornfully.     "Bad  as  that?" 

"Well,  Miss  Beatrice  looked  her  disappoint- 
ment, if  she  did  make  excuses  for  you,  and  Miss 
Linda — well,  she  went  so  far  as  to  accuse  you  of 
decamping  with  all  the  money.  I  don't  think  we 
could  have  kept  her  here  much  longer  this  even- 
ing if  she  hadn't  had  a  caller.  I  presume  you  no- 
ticed that  much  on  your  way  in,  didn't  you?" 

"Yes." 

"Did  you  learn  who  her  caller  is?" 

"No." 

"Not  interested?" 

"Not  particularly." 

"You  should  be." 

"Why?"  I  dropped  into  the  chair  on  the  other 
side  of  the  table. 

"Because  it's  Harold  Avery." 

"Harold  Avery!"  I  sat  up  straight  and  peered 
157 


The  Alster  Case 


across  the  table  at  him.  "What  in  the  world  is 
he  doing  here?" 

"I  don't  suppose  you  know  that  he  was  one  of 
the  moths  that  formerly  fluttered  about  Miss  Linda. 
Ah,  I  see  it  is  strange  news  to  you!"  Trask  paused 
and  just  flicked  me  with  a  smile.  "Well,  since  you 
are  to  be  my  paymaster,  I  suppose  I  might  as  well 
convince  you  that  I  have  not  been  wasting  my  time 
to-day.  I've  been  low  down  again.  I've  been  quiz- 
zing the  servants,  but  the  results  must  at  least  par- 
tially excuse  my  habit.  Did  you  know,  for  instance, 
that  the  late  Miss  Alster  had  a  fairly  tempestuous 
objection  to  either  of  her  nieces  having  any  men 
around  who  had  the  least  appearance  of  being  suit- 
ors for  their  affections?" 

I  lied  brazenly  in  order  to  learn  more. 

"Well,  she  did,  and  when  the  girls  delayed  or 
declined  to  get  rid  of  them  at  her  command,  she 
stepped  into  the  midst  of  their  affairs  herself  and 
made  it  so  unpleasant  for  their  admirers  that  they 
came  not  again.  Harold  Avery  was  one  of  the 
victims.  According  to  Agnes,  he  met  Miss  Linda; 
he  pursued  her  with  candy  and  flowers;  he  called 
once,  twice — and  the  third  time  he  was  received  by 
the  redoubtable  Miss  Alster  herself  and  discharged 

158 


The  Alster  Case 


in  such  a  fury  of  scorn  that  he  dared  not  come  again 
when  she  was  at  home." 

"Trask,"  I  bent  across  the  table  toward  him, 
"could  he  have  been  one  of  the  two  men  in  the 
house  that  night?" 

"I  don't  know.  Here  he  is  calling  again  the  mo- 
ment he  feels  it  is  safe.  But  how  do  you  know 
there  were  two  men  here  that  night?  It  may  have 
been  the  same  man's  voice  that  Agnes  heard  both 
times." 

I  rose  to  my  feet  in  my  excitement  over  the  pos- 
sibility. "You  don't — you  don't  think  he  could  also 
have  been  the  man  talking  with  Miss  Beatrice  in 
the  library?"  I  cried. 

"Perhaps.  I  don't  want  to  raise  your  hopes  too 
high,  but  it  is  quite  possible." 

His  lukewarmness  was  discouraging.  I  sank  back 
into  my  chair.  "You're  a  detective.  It  seems  to 
me  you  might  at  least  have  found  out  that  much 
by  this  time,"  I  complained. 

"What!  From  servants  who  don't  know  and 
from  two  girls  who  have  some  strange  reason  for 
not  telling  me?"  Trask  chuckled  as  if  he  thorough- 
ly enjoyed  the  sensation  of  being  found  fault  with. 
"Swan,  you've  got  it  bad,"  he  went  on  imperturb- 

159 


The  Alster  Case 


ably  after  a  time,  "and  not  to  tease  you  I'll  tell  you 
that  I  have  already  approached  both  girls  on  the 
matter.  Miss  Beatrice  said  she  had  told  all  she 
could,  begged  me  not  to  question  her  further,  and 
was  so  affected  that  I  hadn't  the  heart  to ;  and  Miss 
Linda,  who  fully  deserves  her  title  of  the  young 
fiend,  avoids  me;  when  I  do  get  her  in  a  corner  and 
begin  to  ask  questions  she  laughs  openly  and  can- 
not be  induced  to  answer  a  single  one  seriously. 
She  smiles  on  one  like  a  poppy,  but  really  she's  as 
hard  as  a  brick  wall.  However " 

"However,  you'll  learn — in  time,"  I  asserted 
v/ith  sarcasm. 

Trask  consulted  his  watch.  "Within  fifteen  min- 
utes, perhaps." 

"How?"     My  interest  was  roused  anew. 

"When  direct  methods  fail  indirect  methods  are 
sometimes  surprisingly  successful.  I  suppose  it 
would  astonish  you  to  learn  that  I  already  have 
three  of  my  assistants  planted  in  houses  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Two  of  the  girls  are  employed  in  the 
houses  on  either  side  of  this  one;  there  is  such  a 
demand  for  smart-looking  maids  that  it  is  usually 
very  easy  to  place  them  where  we  wish  them.  I 
hoped  to  get  my  best  man,  Burke,  into  the  house 

1 60 


The  Alster  Case 


opposite,  but  they  wouldn't  have  him.  However, 
he  made  friends  with  one  of  the  maids;  he's  over 
there  calling  on  her  now;  and,  unless  he  falls  down 
as  he  never  has  before,  we're  likely  to  have  im- 
portant news  from  him  within  a  few  minutes." 

"What  can  he  have  to  tell  you?"  I  was  scornful, 
but  much  more  interested. 

Trask  smiled.  "You  little  know  all  the  curious 
eyes  that  are  on  you  in  a  big  city.  Every  house, 
every  door,  every  window,  every  passerby  on  the 
street!  Eyes  and  ears  everywhere!" 

Would  his  confidence  in  his  man  be  justified? 
Would  he  be  able  to  report  upon  the  people  leav- 
ing and  entering  this  house  on  the  night  of  the 
murder?  I  felt  a  sneering  conviction  that  he 
would  learn — nothing.  "I  gave  Miss  Beatrice  a 
check  for  that  money  as  you  requested,"  I  an- 
nounced. 

"Yes,  I  heard  your  voice  outside  the  door.  I  in- 
ferred as  much,"  responded  Trask,  "and  this  gives 
me  a  chance  to  explain  why  I  wanted  you  to  give 
her  a  check." 

"That's  superfluous,"  I  protested;  "it's  fairly  ob- 
vious that  you  hoped  by  the  check  to  learn  what 
she  did  with  the  money." 

161 


The  Alster  Case 


"More  than  that,  Swan,  more  than  just  that," 
Trask  rejoined.  "Don't  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
the  disappearance  of  Keith,  the  butler,  is  one  of 
the  important  factors  in  this  case.  If  Keith  van- 
ished in  collusion  with  anyone  else  in  this  house,  he 
is  sure  to  make  demands  on  that  one  for  money  on 
which  to  remain  in  hiding.  That  check  won't  lead 
us  to  his  hiding  place — he'll  take  care  of  that — but 
it  may  give  us  some  slight  clew  to  it." 

"There's  your  man,"  I  exclaimed,  unnecessarily, 
because  Trask  was  already  rising  to  make  his  way 
to  the  door.  He  opened  it;  a  small,  wiry  Irish- 
man with  blue  eyes  and  a  peculiarly  jocular  and 
winning  twist  to  his  mouth  entered  and  stood  look- 
ing at  me  until  Trask  closed  the  door  and  intro- 
duced us. 

Burke  began  to  make  humorous  remarks  about 
the  weather  to  me,  apparently  paying  no  attention 
to  his  superior,  who  was  pacing  up  and  down  the 
room,  his  course  ending  each  time  by  the  door.  I 
was  bored  and  replied  perfunctorily,  wondering  if 
this  were  all  a  subterfuge  to  get  rid  of  me  before 
important  news  was  imparted.  But  then  suddenly 
it  was  all  explained  to  me  without  words.  In  his 
last  turn  toward  the  door  Trask  suddenly  turned 

162 


The  Alster  Case 


the  knob,  opened  the  door,  and  looked  quickly  out- 
side to  learn  if  there  were  eavesdroppers. 

"All  right,  Jimmy,  now  we'll  have  what  you've 
learned,"  he  said  briskly  as  soon  as  he  had  reclosed 
the  door.  "Did  you  round  up  the  two  girls?" 

"Yes,  sir,  dropped  in  on  them  late  this  afternoon. 
Nothing  doing  yet  so  far  as  they're  concerned." 

"Any  better  luck  yourself?" 

"Well,  I  didn't  learn  so  awful  much,  but  what  I 
did  learn  looks  sorter  handy." 

"Fire  away!" 

Burke  took  the  chair  Trask  had  pointed  out  for 
him.  He  seemed  quite  at  ease  in  our  presence, 
though  from  his  clothes  one  would  have  taken  him 
for  a  good-natured  but  shiftless  man  out  of  a  job 
and  not  over-anxious  to  get  one.  "Well,  it  didn't 
look  as  if  I  was  going  to  get  much  of  anything  out 
of  that  skirt  across  the  street,"  he  began;  "she 
turned  out  to  be  the  second  girl  and  not  much  as 
to  headworks,  but  she  was  that  flattered  to  have  a 
caller  for  a  night  in  the  kitchen  that  I  could  see 
that  she  wouldn't  hold  anything  back  from  me. 
We  got  all  over  telling  each  other  all  about  our- 
selves in  the  first  fifteen  minutes,  and  after  that  the 
talk  was  hard  going.  I  began  to  tell  her  about  all 

163 


The  Alster  Case 


the  murders  in  the  papers,  but  it  didn't  suggest  any- 
thing to  her,  she  only  got  white  and  fidgety.  I  had 
to  bring  up  the  murder  here  myself,  and  even  then 
I  didn't  succeed  in  shaking  anything  out  of  her  mind. 
I  realized  then  I'd  got  next  to  the  wrong  girl  and 
asked  her  to  introduce  me  to  the  others ;  but  she  was 
just  stupid  enough  to  be  jealous  and  leery  of  run- 
ning any  such  risk  as  that. 

"That  gave  me  my  chance  to  get  sore.  I  pre- 
tended to  be  sulky  because  she  wouldn't  give  me  a 
knockdown  to  the  others;  I  shut  up  tight  and  left 
her  to  think  up  talk  herself.  It  was  some  strain 
on  the  poor  skirt's  mind,  now  take  it  from  me; 
most  of  the  time  I  spent  in  listening  to  the  tick  of 
the  kitchen  clock,  but  I  hung  on  and  at  last  she 
got  to  the  kale.  I  didn't  learn  much,  chief,  so  don't 
get  your  hopes  too  high." 

"All  right,  Jimmy,  let  us  have  it." 

"Well,  Mollie,  the  girl  I  went  to  call  on,  has  a 
back  room  upstairs  so  she's  never  seen  anything, 
but  one  of  the  other  girls,  Cecilia,  has  one  of  the 
front  rooms  on  the  top  floor  right  across  the  street. 
On  the  night  of  the  murder  Cecilia  went  upstairs 
to  bed  about  9:15.  The  window  of  her  room  was 
open  and  she  went  to  close  it  before  lighting  the 

164 


The  Alster  Case 


gas.  As  she  stood  there  looking  out  she  saw  a  man 
sneak  out  of  the  door  of  this  house,  close  it  without 
a  sound  and  then  run  like  the  devil  down  the  street. 
His  actions  excited  her  curiosity,  so  she  leaned  out 
the  window  and  watched  him  until  he  turned  south. 
Then  she " 

"One  minute,  Jimmy,  any  description?" 

Burke  made  a  grimace.  "All  the  stiff  I  talked  to 
could  tell  me  about  him  was  that  he  was  a  little 
man."  His  disgust  was  thick.  "A  little  man!"  At 
Trask's  nod  he  went  on: 

"Well,  Cecilia  thought  he  might  have  been  run- 
ning for  a  doctor,  so  she  stood  at  the  window  wait- 
ing to  see  if  he  brought  one  back.  Ten  minutes 
later  she  saw  another  man  come  out  of  this  house, 
close  the  door  in  the  same  way  and  start  off — only 
this  one  walked  slowly  and  as  if  he  didn't  care  a 
damn  who  saw  him." 

"Any  description  of  him?" 

"Very  feeble.  Tall  man  in  a  tall  hat  and  a  fur- 
collared  overcoat.  I'm  sorry,  chief,  but  that's  all 
I  could  get." 

Trask  paused  only  to  nod  his  satisfaction  before 
turning  to  me.  "Well,  you  see  there  were  two  men," 
he  said. 

165 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes,  but "  I  rose  in  my  excitement,  "that 

first  man  was  probably  the  butler  and  the  second 
man — Trask!  that  man  calling  downstairs  has  a 
high  hat  and  a  fur  coat.  It  may  have  been  Avery, 
not  Longstreet,  who  was  here,  do  you  hear?" 

Trask  looked  at  me  a  long  time  and  seemed  loath 
to  say  it.  "You  forget  the  man  downstairs  is  not 
more  than  five  feet  six  and  the  man  this  girl  saw 
was  tall." 

"So  you  still  believe  it  was  Longstreet  who  was 
here?"  I  demanded. 

"I'll  make  sure  soon."  Trask  stopped  before  his 
assistant.  "Jimmy,  of  course  you  gagged  both  of 
those  girls?"  he  inquired. 

"Sure!  I  told  Mollie  to  tell  Cecilia  that  they 
both  had  better  keep  their  mouths  tight  or  they 
might  be  jailed  as  material  witnesses." 

"Right!"  Trask  patted  him  approvingly  on  the 
shoulder.  "Now  to-morrow  you  go  on  Longstreet 
and  don't  let  me  see  or  hear  of  you  again  until  you 
learn  where  he  was  at  the  time  of  the  murder." 

"Yes,  sir.  Good  night,  chief."  Burke  shook 
hands  with  me  and  disappeared  from  the  room. 

The  news  was  too  indeterminate  to  discuss.  I  sat 
dumbly  in  my  chair  wondering  whether  Trask  might 

1 66 


The  Alster  Case 


not  be  wrong  in  his  conclusion,  and  Trask  walked 
silently  up  and  down  the  room,  evidently  sorting 
his  new  information  into  place. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  knock  again  at  the  door. 

"There's  your  man!  He's  come  back,"  I  called 
out  to  Trask. 

"No,  that  was  a  woman's  tap.  You  had  better 
answer  it,"  he  replied,  making  no  move  toward  the 
door. 

I  got  up  reluctantly,  went  to  it  and  threw  it  open. 
Trask  was  right.  In  the  hall  outside  stood  Bea- 
trice. 

"I  am  very  sorry  to  disturb  you,"  she  apologized, 
"but  I  wonder — would  it  be  too  much  trouble  for 
you  to  get  me  the  money  for  this?"  She  handed 
back  the  check. 

"I — I  can't  possibly  get  it  for  you  until  to-mor- 
row," I  demurred,  stealing  a  quick  look  at  Trask. 

"That  will  be  soon  enough.  If  you  only  will 
it  will  save  me  so  much  trouble,"  she  stated. 

Prompted  by  Trask's  nod,  I  took  back  the  check 
and  promised  to  do  it.  She  thanked  me  profusely. 
After  the  door  was  closed  I  turned  to  find  Trask 
shaking  his  head. 


XI 

I  RETURNED  to  the  house  the  following  aft- 
ernoon just  in  time  to  hand  Beatrice  the 
money  before  the  funeral  services  began. 
They  were  held  in  the  house.  Miss  Alster  had  so 
few  friends,  despite  her  money,  that  General  Al- 
ster thought  better  of  having  them  in  a  chapel  or 
church.  I  remained  upstairs  with  General  Alster 
and  the  girls,  listening  to  the  interminable  drone  of 
the  officiating  clergyman,  and  pitying  him  for  having 
to  sell  his  soul  imparting  pious  virtues  to  the  de- 
ceased to  which  no  one  gave  credence.  Beatrice 
was  the  only  one  affected;  she  sat  with  her  hand- 
kerchief to  her  face,  though  no  sound  of  weeping 
issued  from  it.  I  marveled  at  the  change  in 
myself  that  her  treatment  had  caused  in  a  single 
day.  Such  are  the  reactions  of  human  nature  that 
I  found  myself  doubting  if  her  show  of  grief  were 
real. 

The  cadenced  drone  of  the  clergyman  came  finally 
to  an  end  and  I  knew  that  slight  stir  in  the  silence 
downstairs  to  betoken  that  the  few  there  were  view- 

168 


The  Alster  Case 


ing  the  remains  before  being  ushered  out  of  our 
way.  Ghastly  performance !  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  this  was  an  ordeal  which  I  should  escape.  And 
I  managed  it  without  difficulty  in  the  confusion  of 
quieting  Beatrice  and  getting  her  away  from  the 
flower-embanked  casket. 

I  was  astonished  to  see  how  few  people  went  in 
the  carnages  to  the  crematory  with  us.  I  have 
been  told  that  cremation  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  wonderful  of  sights,  that  few  can  witness  that 
last  swift  moment  when  a  body  suddenly  becomes 
pink  as  though  with  life  before  crumbling  into  ashes 
without  feeling  afresh  an  awed  belief  in  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul.  You  will  not  understand  my 
sensitiveness,  but  I  could  not  look  on  it.  It  was 
with  a  deep  sense  of  relief  that  I  tumbled  back 
with  General  Alster  and  the  two  girls  into  the  car- 
riage that  was  to  bear  us  away. 

Upon  our  return  I  read  the  will  to  General  Alster 
and  the  girls  in  the  library.  It  began  with  that 
strange  preamble  to  a  legal  document  wherein  Miss 
Alster,  despite  my  protests,  had  insisted  upon  foist- 
ing on  others  the  natural  results  of  characteristics 
and  faults  of  her  own.  I  can  set  down  those  sen- 
tences from  memory;  they  were  so  bitter,  so  direct, 

169 


The  Alster  Case 


so  unfair,  and  withal  so  characteristic  of  the  tes- 
tator's whole  life.     The  will  began: 

I  have  never  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  real 
friend,  or  to  receive  that  gratitude  or  friendship 
which  makes  life  worth  while.  It  may  be  my  own 
fault,  but  I  have  striven  for  it,  earned  it,  yet  never 
have  I  received  it.  Those  whom  I  have  helped  have 
turned  against  me,  one  after  another.  If  I  were  in- 
clined to  be  just,  I  should  leave  all  my  property  to 
public  charities.  But  it  seems  to  me  merely  to  be  a 
choice  between  indulging  thousands  of  thankless  peo- 
ple and  the  few  who  are  accustomed  to  my  benefac- 
tions, however  ungrateful  they  have  shown  them- 
selves for  them.  And  so 

Then  came  the  part  of  the  will  important  to  the 
living.  She  left  nothing  to  the  public  charities  or 
to  her  servants.  She  left  fifty  thousand  dollars  to 
Linda;  she  devised  all  the  remainder  of  her  estate, 
amounting  to  over  a  million  and  a  half,  to  Beatrice, 
but  only  the  income  on  both  of  these  bequests  was 
to  be  paid  them  for  some  time  yet.  The  will  pro- 
vided for  a  trust  in  which  all  the  estate  was  to  be 
merged,  and  of  which  I  was  to  have  charge  for  a 
period  of  two  years  after  her  death.  It  was  a 
strange  will,  strange  from  beginning  to  end.  I  felt 
it  better  to  leave  the  room  immediately  after  read- 

170 


The  Alster  Case 


ing  it  so  that  the  two  girls  and  General  Alster  might 
feel  free  to  talk  over  its  provisions. 

I  was  about  to  go  downstairs  when  I  observed 
Trask  coming  up.  He  bore  in  one  hand  a  small  box 
of  violets  such  as  had  come  the  day  before.  "Ah, 
another,  and  for  Miss  Beatrice?"  I  inquired  bit- 
terly. 

He  merely  nodded  and  went  on. 

I  started  down  the  stairs,  and  then  I  suddenly 
stopped  short.  Trask,  instead  of  taking  those  vio- 
lets directly  to  Beatrice  in  the  library,  had  taken 
them  into  his  own  room  at  the  head  of  the  stairs. 
For  a  moment  I  hesitated,  then  I  went  back,  opened 
the  door  and  entered  his  room  without  knocking. 
On  the  center  table  lay  the  blue  box,  and  bend- 
ing over  it  untying  the  string  was  Trask. 

"Ah,  now  that  you've  caught  me,  I  suppose  I'd 
better  explain,"  he  said  lightly.  "Come  here  and 
let's  see  what  we'll  find  to-day." 

He  removed  the  cover  of  the  box  and  lifted  out 
the  large  and  fragrant  bunch  of  violets.  And  then, 
as  if  knowing  precisely  where  to  look,  he  separated 
their  bunched  stems  and  deftly  pulled  out  a  slip  of 
paper  hidden  in  their  depths.  I  looked  over  his 
shoulder  and  read: 

171 


The  Alster  Case 


v  arrq  gur  zbarl  ol  gbzbeebj  ng  gur  bhgfvqr  yrnir 
vg  ng  gur  fnzr  cynpr  jul  unirag  Ibh  tbg  genfx  bhg 
bs  gur  ubhfr  Irg  ur  vf  qnatrebhf 

I  stared  at  the  gibberish  in  amazement,  trying 
vainly  to  find  a  single  word  in  any  foreign  language 
that  would  give  me  a  clew.  It  was  printed  legibly 
and  painstakingly  on  a  small  scrap  of  unmarked 
paper.  Trask  stood  aside  and  let  me  examine  it  in 
silence. 

"What  can  it  be?  It  isn't  in  Hebrew,  is  it?"  I 
begged  at  last. 

He  smiled.  "No,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it's  a  ci- 
pher, one  of  the  easiest,  but  you  could  hardly  be 
expected  to  make  it  out  on  sight.  I  got  it  in  less 
than  an  hour  yesterday,  but " 

"Yesterday?"  I  exclaimed,  looking  from  the 
strange  message  to  him. 

"Yes,  there  was  another  message  in  the  bunch  of 
violets  that  came  yesterday  and  I  made  a  copy  of 
it  before  putting  it  back  and  delivering  them.  Here, 
let  me  show  you  how  easy  it  is  to  decipher  that  mes- 
sage." Trask  placed  the  slip  of  paper  between  us 
on  the  table.  "In  the  first  place  it  opens  with  a  sin- 
gle letter  V;  now  what  letter  in  our  alphabet  is 
used  alone?  'I,'  of  course.  That  does  for  a  start, 

172 


The  Alster  Case 


V  is  used  in  the  place  of  'I'  and  printed  as  a  small 
letter  so  as  not  to  prove  too  easy.  Now  is  any 
word  in  that  message  repeated?  Yes,  'gur'  occurs 
one,  two,  three,  four  times.  What  word  of  three 
letter's  is  repeated  often  in  this  and  all  other  lan- 
guages? 'The,'  isn't  it?  Then  it  stands  to  reason 
that  'g'  stands  for  V  V  for  'h'  and  V  for  'e.'  Why, 
a  child  could  figure  this  cipher  out  from  a  start 
like  this.  I  didn't  even  stop  to  figure  out  which 
letter  was  used  oftenest — which  is  'e' ;  I  jumped 
smashbang  to  a  solution  just  from  those  first  two 
discoveries.  Don't  you  see  it?" 

I  shook  my  head  dumbly. 

"Well,  that's  because  you  probably  have  never 
had  anything  to  do  with  unraveling  cipher  messages. 
Here's  the  simple  little  joker  that  solves  the  riddle." 
Trask  drew  from  his  pocket  a  small  card  on  which 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet  were  arranged  as  fol- 
lows: 

abcdefghij  klm 
nopqrs  tuvwxyz 

"Guess  it  now?"  he  demanded. 

Again  I  had  to  shake  my  head. 

"Whatl    Not  now?    Can't  you  see  that  by  using 

173 


The  Alster  Case 


the  letters  below  for  those  above  and  those  above 
for  those  below,  you  would  get  some  such  cluster  of 
consonants  as  this?"  He  pushed  a  pencil  and  piece 
of  paper  toward  me.  "Here,  you  put  down  the  hid- 
den letters  as  I  call  them  out  to  you  and  see  how 
soon  this  begins  to  make  sense." 

With  his  finger  traveling  along  the  message,  and 
his  eyes  flying  from  this  to  the  key  which  he  had 
drawn  up,  he  began  to  read  it  off  to  me  letter  by  let- 
ter. Before  he  had  gone  three  words  I  saw  that  he 
had  solved  the  cipher.  After  he  had  finished  he 
looked  over  my  shoulder  at  the  translation.  It 
read: 

I  need  the  money  by  to-morrow  at  the  outside. 
Leave  it  at  the  same  place.  Why  haven't  you  got 
Trask  out  of  the  house  yet?  He  is  dangerous. 

"Very  flattering  to  me,  I  am  sure,"  exclaimed 
Trask  with  a  laugh.  "And  now  that  we  have  a 
copy,  we'll  put  this  message  back  and  send  the  vio- 
lets along."  Without  further  comment  he  replaced 
the  cipher  among  the  stems  of  the  violets. 

"Trask,  what  does  this  mean?"  I  demanded  se- 
verely when  I  could  stand  the  silence  on  his  part  no 
longer. 

174 


The  Alster  Case 


"It  means "  he  stopped  while  he  carefully 

tied  the  string  about  the  blue  box — "it  means,  I 
should  say,  that  someone  outside  this  house  who  has 
reason  to  hide  is  carrying  on  a  correspondence  with 
someone  inside  by  means  of  this  cipher — and  vio- 
lets." 

"Don't  treat  me  like  a  fool,  anyone  can  see  that," 
I  remonstrated.  "The  sickening  thing  about  this  is 
that  these  are  sent  to  Beatrice.  Don't  you  see?  The 
man  who  was  in  the  library  with  her  is  blackmail- 
ing her  for  money." 

"Yes,  that's  the  way  it  looks,"  he  admitted  care- 
lessly. 

"Looks !  What  do  you  mean?"  I  demanded.  "It 
can't  mean  anything  else,  can  it?" 

"Yes." 

"What?" 

"Suppose  the  violets  were  sent  to  her  as  a  blind. 
;  Suppose  the  message  was  intended  for  someone 
-else?" 

*  By  the  time  I  had  recovered  from  my  surprise 
at  his  suggestion  and  began  to  ask  questions,  he 
had  gathered  up  the  box  and  was  starting  toward 
the  door.  "Come,  let's  find  out  about  that  first 
before  we  jump  to  any  conclusions,"  he  ordered. 

175 


The  Alster  Case 


"Things  happened  yesterday  that  prevented  me 
from  learning  what  became  of  the  message." 

He  was  already  out  in  the  hall  and  there  was 
nothing  left  for  me  to  do  but  to  follow  him.  As 
I  joined  him  he  put  the  box  of  violets  into  my  hand. 
"Here,  you  deliver  them  to-day,"  he  ordered.  "I 
gave  her  the  box  that  came  yesterday.  And  let  me 
go  in  first.  We  mustn't  go  in  together  with  them, 
it  might  put  them  on  their  guard." 

He  knocked  and  went  into  the  library.  After  a 
few  minutes  I  followed. 

Both  Linda  and  Beatrice  were  still  there  and 
General  Alster  was  on  his  feet  as  if  on  the  point 
of  taking  leave.  I  placed  the  box  of  violets  on  the 
table  without  a  word. 

"If  you  are  determined  to  act  so  generously,  I 
can  find  nothing  further  to  say  against  it,"  General 
Alster  went  on,  addressing  Beatrice. 

"Linda  was  brought  up  with  the  expectation  that 
she  should  at  least  share  equally  with  me  in  the 
estate;  it  seems  only  fair  that  I  should  make  up 
what  she  has  lost,"  responded  Beatrice. 

"Yes — yes — but  you  are  giving  her  half  what 
you  inherit  in  addition  to  what  she  inherits  herself." 

"It  only  makes  a  difference  of  a  few  thousands. 
176 


The  Alster  Case 


There  will  be  ample  left  for  me,"  replied  Beatrice. 

"Well,  I  presume  you  girls  know  what  you  are 
doing."  General  Alster  with  a  sigh  moved  away 
toward  the  door. 

"It  isn't  any  use  to  argue  with  her,"  broke  in 
Linda,  "she  is  determined  to  do  it.  Auntie  always 
knew  that  Bee  cared  nothing  about  her  money. 
Probably  that's  why  she  left  most  of  it  to  her." 

One  would  have  inferred  from  Linda's  tone  that 
she  had  wearied  of  protesting  against  Beatrice's 
generosity.  Knowing  what  I  did,  I  shot  a  quick  look 
from  her  to  Trask.  But  his  eye  was  not  to  be 
caught. 

General  Alster  made  his  departure  and  Beatrice 
returned  to  her  seat  at  the  front  of  the  room,  pass- 
ing the  table  on  which  lay  the  box  of  violets  without 
even  a  glance. 

"Oh,  there's  a  box  which  just  came  for  you,"  I 
said  after  a  few  moments  of  embarrassing  silence. 

"For  me?"  Beatrice  looked  up  at  me  with  sur- 
prise and,  at  my  nod,  rose  and  crossed  to  the  table. 
She  picked  up  the  scissors  that  lay  there,  but  paused 
before  cutting  the  string.  "It's  strange,"  she 
mused,  "I  received  just  such  another  box  yesterday 
and  there  was  no  card  in  it.  I  wonder — but  perhaps 

177 


The  Alster  Case 


there'll  be  one  with  these."  She  nervously  cut  the 
string  and  removed  the  violets;  she  searched  the 
box;  she  finally  even  parted  the  flowers  to  see  if  a 
card  might  be  lodged  among  them,  but  she  made  no 
such  inspection  of  the  stems  where  the  message  lay 
hidden.  "Well,  I  suppose  I'll  learn  in  time  who 
sent  them,"  she  said,  with  a  sigh,  laying  them  down 
on  the  table  and  returning  to  her  seat. 

"Don't  you  want  me  to  put  them  in  water  for 
you?"  I  asked. 

"No,  thank  you,  I'll  attend  to  that  later,"  she  re- 
plied. 

I  looked  at  Trask.  His  eyes  were  directed  across 
the  room;  there  was  a  far-away  look  in  them  as  if 
he  were  buried  in  important  thought.  I  followed  his 
eyes.  In  that  mirror  on  the  other  wall  no  one  could 
be  watched  except  Linda.  She  had  turned  away, 
was  looking  out  the  window  with  her  back  toward 
us. 

Soon  the  constrained  silence  on  us  all — only  Be- 
atrice made  any  pretense  of  talking  to  me  and  I  felt 
that  even  she  was  doing  it  to  get  back  in  my  good 
graces — soon  the  silence  got  on  my  nerves  and  I 
rose,  apologized,  and  left  for  my  own  room.  I  was 
intensely  interested  to  learn  what  would  become  of 

178 


The  Ahter  Case 


the  message  hidden  among  the  stems  of  the  violets, 
but  I  knew  that  the  solution  of  that  question  might 
safely  be  left  to  Trask. 

He  came  to  my  room  half  an  hour  later  and  sank 
into  the  comfortable  chair  across  the  table  from  me. 
Neither  by  the  expression  on  his  face  when  he  en- 
tered nor  by  his  action  could  I  make  out  whether 
he  had  solved  the  question.  I  studied  him  care- 
fully without  being  able  to  make  up  my  mind.  More 
and  more  I  was  realizing  that  Trask  was  a  man 
from  whom  another  could  learn  little  or  nothing 
except  what  he  vouchsafed  to  divulge  with  his  lips. 
I  was  about  to  ask  point  blank  when  he  broke  out 
suddenly : 

"That  was  an  excellent  move  of  yours,  Swan, 
leaving  the  room." 

"Why?" 

He  smiled  a  moment.     "You'll  never  believe  it." 

"Why?"  I  asked  again,  growing  exasperated. 
"What  makes  you  say  that?" 

"Because  it's  hardly  within  reason  for  you  to  be- 
lieve that  both  of  the  girls  dread  your  presence 
more  than  they  do  that  of  the  detective  on  the 
case." 

I  could  not  forbear  the  retort:  "You  seem  to 
179 


The  Alster  Case 


glory  in  the  fact  that  they  consider  you  more  of  a 
fool  than  I." 

"Well,  that  wasn't  quite  the  way  I  was  looking 
at  it,  but,  nevertheless,  I  guess  you've  hit  the  nail 
on  the  head,"  he  replied  with  a  chuckle. 

"What  happened — after  I  left?"  I  demanded, 
relieved  that  he  had  not  taken  offense. 

"Well,  we  talked  a  while;  then,  first  inquiring  if 
I  were  intruding,  I  picked  up  a  magazine  and  be- 
gan to  look  at  its  pictures.  I  didn't  care  to  lose 
another  chance  to  learn  what  became  of  the  cipher, 
and  neither  of  the  girls  appeared  inclined  to  talk. 
There  was  a  dead  silence  for  about  half  an  hour, 
and  then  Linda  sighed  and  rose,  and  said  she 
guessed  she'd  go  to  her  room.  On  the  way  to  the 
door  she  stopped  at  the  table,  picked  up  the  violets, 
buried  her  face  in  them,  and  made  some  remark 
about  how  fragrant  and  refreshing  they  were.  She 
had  her  back  toward  me  and,  fool  that  I  was,  I  had 
not  had  the  foresight  to  seat  myself  where  I  could 
keep  an  eye  on  the  flowers  in  the  mirror,  but  when 
she  went  out,  the  way  she  carried  one  hand  hidden 
from  me  made  me  suspicious.  Miss  Beatrice  was 
absorbed  in  her  thoughts.  I  rose,  and,  using  the 
same  subterfuge  Linda  had,  contrived  while  smelling 

180 


"On  the  way  to  the  door  she  stopped  at  the  table, 
picked  up  the  violets." 


The  Alster  Case 


of  the  flowers  to  search  for  the  slip  of  paper  among 
the  stems.     It  was  gone." 

"Gone!  You  mean  Linda  took  it?  Linda!"  I 
exclaimed. 

"Unless  Miss  Beatrice  is  sleight  of  hand  artist 
enough  to  have  extracted  it  when  she  handled  them 
right  before  our  eyes." 

"But — but  why  should  they  have  come  addressed 
to  Miss  Beatrice  when  the  note  in  them  was  meant 
for  Linda?"  I  expostulated. 

"Swan,"  Trask  rose  and  looked  at  me  impres- 
sively, "unless  I'm  way  at  sea  there's  a  more  astute 
criminal  connected  with  this  crime  than  we  have  yet 
thought  to  look  for.  The  cleverness  of  this  very 
trick  proves  that;  and  I  accept  the  premise  and 
confess  that  I  have  been  shortsighted  in  remaining 
here  when  I  ought  to  be  outside  looking  into  the  an- 
tecedents of  that  man  Keith.  You  may  not  see  much 
of  me  for  the  next  few  days.  I  must  learn  enough 
about  him  to  determine  whether  he  had  any  ap- 
parent motive  for  committing  this  murder,  or,  if  I 
can't  decide  that,  to  judge  from  his  history  about 
what  type  of  human  being  he  is.  He  is  beginning 
to  loom  bigger  to  me  than  at  first.  You  don't  mind 
if  I  take  a  little  time  to  run  him  out?" 

181 


The  Alster  Case 


My  face  must  have  shown  my  dislike  at  the  sud- 
den turn  his  investigation  was  taking,  for  he  went 
on  before  I  had  time  to  put  it  in  words. 

"Of  course,  I  realize  that  you  regard  it  as  my 
first  duty  to  learn  who  the  man  was  with  Miss  Be- 
atrice on  the  night  of  the  murder.  I'm  not  prom- 
ising, but  it  would  please  you,  wouldn't  it,  if  in  run- 
ning down  Keith  I  found  that  it  was  he  instead  of 
the  man  we  thought?" 

I  admitted  it. 

"Well,  good-bye,  then.  I'm  going  to  have  a  few 
minutes'  chat  with  Linda  and  then  I'm  off  to  see 
what  I  can  dig  up  about  Mr.  Keith." 

I  did  not  see  him  again  that  day,  nor  in  fact  for 
several  days,  and  within  the  hour  I  particularly  re- 
gretted it,  for  in  descending  to  dinner  I  was  waylaid 
by  Linda ;  and  her  conversation  afforded  me  some- 
thing with  which  I  could  have  crowed  over  Trask 
for  his  statement  that  the  girls  were  more  suspicious 
of  me  than  of  him. 

"Mr.  Trask's  gone  and  I  hope  he  never  comes 
back,"  Linda  informed  me  confidentially  as  she  led 
the  way  downstairs. 

"Why?    Don't  you  like  him?"  I  asked. 

"Like  him!"  She  laughed  ripplingly,  and  the 
182 


The  Alster  Case 


echo  sounded  ill  to  me,  roaming  through  a  house  of 
mourning. 

"Has  he  been  annoying  you?"  I  persisted. 

"No."     She  said  it  a  little  too  sharply. 

"Then  why "  I  began. 

"Oh,  well,  when  auntie  was  alive  I  had  her  ever- 
lastingly tagging  at  my  heels  and  asking  silly  ques- 
tions, and  now "  Linda  shook  her  head  wil- 
fully as  to  free  it  from  a  new  found  bridle. 

"We  all  have  to  submit  to  some  things  we  don't 
like." 

"I  don't  like  him.  He  reads  my  thoughts," 
snapped  Linda,  and  left  me  abruptly  to  enter  the 
dining-room. 


XII 

SEVERAL  days  passed  during  which  I  did  not 
see  Trask  nor  hear  from  him. 

Two  hulking  detectives  called  at  my  office 
from  police  headquarters  and  asked  me  innumera- 
ble questions  about  Keith.  It  developed  that  they 
suspected  Keith  because  he  had  fled  and  were  de- 
voting all  their  attention  to  running  him  down.  I 
described  him  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  and,  after 
laboriously  writing  down  the  details,  they  departed 
with  profane  assurances  that  their  heavy  hands 
would  be  on  him  within  a  few  days  now. 

The  business  of  the  estate  kept  me  very  busy. 
I  saw  little  of  the  two  girls,  except  occasionally 
at  dinner  and  evenings  when  I  was  not  called  away 
from  the  house.  Of  the  two,  as  time  went  on,  I 
found  myself  growing  more  favorably  disposed 
toward  Linda,  so  soon  as  I  realized  that  her  faults 
were  mostly  due  to  her  youth  and  wilfulness;  now 
that  no  one  attempted  to  exercise  any  restraint  over 
her,  they  were  not  so  noticeable.  The  two  girls 
appeared  to  have  come  to  some  agreement,  each  to 

184 


The  Alster  Case 


go  her  own  way;  and  if  either  had  anything  heavy 
on  her  mind,  it  appeared  to  be  Beatrice.  Her  beau- 
tiful olive  face  seemed  buried  in  a  dark  sadness; 
she  said  little  and  appeared  to  avoid  both  Linda 
and  me;  she  started,  grew  highly  nervous  at  the 
least  unexpected  noise,  and  seemed  ever  apprehen- 
sive that  something  was  about  to  happen.  Some- 
times I  caught  her  large,  dark,  smoldering  eyes 
dwelling  sadly  on  me  and  I  winced.  Pity  is  but  a 
potion  when  given  in  the  place  of  love. 

At  the  office  I  had  not  seen  Allan  Longstreet 
since  that  first  day  when  he  had  turned  over  his 
quarters  to  me.  He  appeared  daily  when  I  was  not 
there,  Miss  Walsh  told  me,  but  it  was  as  if  he  were 
on  watch,  and  chose  to  come  when  I  would  not  be 
there  to  question  him.  For  fervently  did  I  desire 
by  questions  to  learn  whether  he  were  the  man  that 
Beatrice  so  much  preferred  to  me.  I  could  not 
make  up  my  mind. 

I  was  consequently  greatly  surprised  a  few  morn- 
ings later  to  see  him  tear  into  the  office,  lodge  a 
small  open  bag  on  my  desk  and,  without  even  sa- 
luting either  Miss  Walsh  or  me,  drag  away  the 
telephone  from  my  side  and  call  for  a  number. 

I  was  too  much  annoyed  by  the  sudden  irruption 
185 


The  Alster  Case 


and  the  havoc  his  bag  had  wrought  among  the  pa- 
pers on  my  desk  to  give  attention  to  the  telephone 
number  that  he  called.  But  his  first  speech  made 
me  miss  not  a  word  and  at  the  same  time  appear 
very  busy. 

"I — ah,  why  that  is  you,  Beatrice,  isn't  it?"  he 
exclaimed  excitedly. 

I  opened  noisily  a  contract  on  heavy  legal  cap 
and  hid  my  frowning  face  between  its  pages.  It 
seemed  something  more  to  me  than  chance  that 
made  Beatrice  answer  his  call  herself. 

"I've  got  it,  Beatrice,  just  as  I  thought;  I've  fin- 
ished with  my  experimenting;  I've  found  the  one 
needed  element,"  he  burst  out  with  an  enthusiasm 
that  increased  rather  than  diminished.  "It  was — 
no,  I  don't  dare  to  tell  you  over  the  wire — but  it's 
cheap  and  it  gives  the  composition  the  one  quality 
it  lacked,  the  one  quality  every  other  rubber  sub- 
stitute has  lacked — lasting  elasticity.  Experts  said 
that  no  one  would  ever  be  able  to  get  it,  but  I  have 
it — at  last.  It  isn't  hope  or  theory  any  longer.  I 
have  it.  I  actually  have  it.  I  mixed  some  of  the 
composition  last  night,  and  this  morning  I  made  it 
up  into  strips,  and  it's  even  more  elastic  than  real 
rubber,  and  can  be  manufactured  for  half  the  price 

186 


The  Alster  Case 


of  Para,  think  of  that!  I  wouldn't  believe  my  own 
senses.  I've  just  come  from  having  it  tested  and 
hurried  into  the  office  to  telephone  you  the  news. 
Isn't  it  wonderful?" 

I  shot  a  look  at  the  man.  What  chance  had  he 
of  inventing  a  rubber  substitute,  when  the  leading 
scientists  all  over  the  world  had  been  endeavoring 
vainly  for  years  to  put  one  together?  But,  of  course, 
Beatrice,  being  a  woman,  would  believe  him. 

"No,  I  haven't  told  father,  not  yet,"  he  continued, 
oblivious  of  my  scornful  look.  "I  wanted  to  tell 
you  first,  I " 

I  swirled  round  in  my  office  chair  and  called  to 
Miss  Walsh.  I  had  heard  enough  of  his  silly,  vapid, 
young  enthusiasm.  I  called  Miss  Walsh  a  second 
time;  this  had  never  before  been  necessary;  was 
she,  too,  womanlike,  giving  credit  to  his  madness? 

"No,  father's  got  to  wait.  I  want  to  bring  it  up 
to  you  first  and  demonstrate  that  I've  really  got  it. 
It's  one  of  the  biggest  contributions  of  our  age  to 
science.  For  years  the  word  has  been  going  around 
the  street  that  the  Rubber  Trust  would  gladly  pay 
four  millions  for  a  substitute  as  good  as  rubber. 
They  deny  it,  but  they  would — yes,  it's  worth  far 
more  than  that — but  I  shan't  sell,  I  shall  let  father 

187 


The  Alster  Case 


in  on  it,  and  he  won't  regard  me  as  a  fool  any  longer 
and  try  to  get  me  into  Wall  Street.  I'd  much  rather 
make  my  money  through  something  useful  like  this 
than  merely  by  juggling  other  people's  money, 
wouldn't  you?" 

I  signed  to  Miss  Walsh  that  it  was  no  use  to  try 
to  talk  against  such  a  deluded  maniac.  I  pushed 
back  my  chair  and  rose  to  my  feet,  trusting  that  he 
would  notice  how  he  was  interfering  with  a  sensi- 
ble man's  work. 

"Yes.     I'm  coming.     Now.     At  once." 

He  paid  no  attention  to  either  of  us.  He  grabbed 
his  bag  from  my  desk  and  was  half  way  to  the  door 
before  it  appeared  to  dawn  on  him  that  we  were 
even  present. 

"I — I — you  heard  I"  he  demanded,  turning 
toward  us  with  eyes  that  glittered  like  a  maniac's. 

I  nodded  indifferently  and  turned  away  to  Miss 
Walsh. 

"Ah,  you  don't  believe  it!"  He  seemed  delighted 
rather  than  displeased. 

"Yes,  I  believe  that  your  hopes  are  elastic — 
more  so  probably  than  your  rubber,"  I  answered. 

He  laughed.  "Yes,  yes,  I  can  understand  why 
you  should  doubt  it.  I  no  longer  mind  that,  now 

1 8.8 


The  Alster  Case 


that  I  have  the  answer  to  it,"  he  responded  with 
disappointing  good  nature.  "Wait.  I'll  show  you. 
I'll  convince  you.  It  will  take  only  a  minute." 

Much  to  my  disgust  he  swept  back,  deposited 
his  bag  on  my  desk,  and  began  fumbling  around 
in  it. 

"Of  course,  if  you  have  found  a  means  of  ex- 
tracting the  rubber  from  our  rich  men's  consciences, 
you  may  have  it,  or  something  like  it,"  I  encouraged 
him. 

He  appeared  not  to  notice  my  fling.  "Here — 
here  it  is,"  he  exclaimed,  pulling  several  small  strips 
of  a  reddish  colored  substance  from  his  bag. 
"There I  There!  Examine  it.  Try  it  yourself." 
He  threw  a  strip  in  front  of  me,  another  in  front 
of  Miss  Walsh. 

"Oh,  I'll  take  your  word  for  it,"  I  said,  pushing 
the  strip  aside  to  pick  up  some  papers  on  which  it 
fell. 

"Try  it — please,"  he  requested,  turning  to  Miss 
Walsh. 

She  picked  up  the  strip  thrown  her  and,  one 
end  in  each  hand,  pulled.  It  stretched  and  when 
she  released  one  end  it  snapped  back. 

"It's  elastic  all  right,  elastic  of  the  most  revenge- 
189 


The  Alster  Case 


ful  kind,"  she  announced,  rubbing  the  hand  it  had 
struck. 

"There!  Convinced?"  Longstreet  turned  smil- 
ingly to  me.  "You  saw,  didn't  you?" 

"Yes,  but  how  much  real  rubber  did  you  put  in  it 
to  make  it  stretch  like  that?" 

"Not  an  ounce,  not "  Longstreet  stopped 

abruptly  and  looked  at  me,  as  if  suddenly  and  for 
the  first  time  he  caught  my  antagonism.  His  mouth 
opened  as  if  he  intended  to  speak.  Instead,  he 
seized  his  bag  from  my  desk  and  with  a  wave  of  his 
free  hand  plunged  out  of  the  office. 

I  took  the  strip  he  had  left  on  my  desk  and 
dropped  it  into  my  waste-basket. 

"You  called  me.  Dictation?"  inquired  Miss 
Walsh,  remaining  standing. 

"No — it's  insufferably  hot  here,  isn't  it?"  I  de- 
manded. 

"Yes.     Perhaps.    Shall  I  open  a  window?" 

"If  you  will."  I  began  to  perceive  what  an  ex- 
hibition my  feelings  had  made  of  me  before  her. 
"After  so  much  hot  air,  don't  you  think  it  would  be 
better?"  I  asked  with  hastily  assumed  jocularity. 

She  laughed  with  me  and  opened  the  windows. 
But  when  she  returned  she  paused  before  my  desk. 

190 


The  Alster  Case 


"You  don't  like  Mr.  Longstreet,  do  you?"  she 
inquired. 

"No,  that  is "  I  paused  embarrassed.  There 

.was  no  explanation  I  could  make. 

She  moved  on  a  little.  "You  still  don't  object 
to  my  doing  his  letters?"  she  asked.  "I'll  give  them 
up  instantly  if  you  do." 

I  assured  her  that  I  didn't.  She  accepted  my 
statement.  Fool  that  I  was !  It  was  not  until  long 
afterward  that  I  had  wit  to  think  what  it  means 
when  a  woman  takes  a  man's  word  against  all  the 
evidence ! 

I  did  not  even  dream  what  this  meant  that  day. 
That  day  I  had  much  ado  to  bring  my  jealousy 
within  bounds,  to  speak  to  callers  without  snapping 
at  them  like  a  vicious  dog.  Whether  or  not  Allan 
Longstreet  was  the  man  with  Beatrice  on  the  night 
of  the  murder,  this  last  conversation  had  proved 
that  he  was  on  terms  of  the  utmost  intimacy  with 
her,  and  he  being  the  only  son  of  a  very  rich  man, 
oh,  how  I  hated  him!  I  was  beside  myself  with 
jealousy.  After  my  first  anger  passed  and  my  brain 
began  to  work,  suspicions  groped  their  way  into  it. 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  he  had  forced  his  office  on 
me  for  just  this  triumph,  that  his  generosity  had 

191 


The  Alster  Case 


been  all  a  sham,  that  he  had  planned  all  along  to 
convince  me  in  some  such  way  as  this  of  the  hope- 
lessness of  my  aspiration  to  Beatrice. 

I  had  a  glimpse  of  Beatrice  on  the  stairs  late  that 
night  when  I  forced  myself  to  return  to  the  house, 
but  I  could  not  speak  to  her.  I  passed  into  my 
own  room  without  so  much  as  a  word.  She  must 
have  just  come  from  a  whole  afternoon  and  per- 
haps evening  spent  with  him.  The  thought  of  that 
made  it  impossible  for  me  to  trust  myself  to  say  a 
word. 

I  slept  ill.  I  pretended  that  an  early  engagement 
prevented  me  from  staying  to  breakfast.  And  at 
the  office  I  sank  into  my  chair  with  a  despair  at  the 
long  day  coming  that  I  did  my  best  to  conceal. 

It  must  have  been  toward  noon  when  the  door 
opened  and  I  looked  up  to  find  Beatrice  standing 
smilingly  before  my  desk.  I  started.  I  couldn't 
help  it,  so  sure  was  I  that  the  vindictive  feelings 
rankling  in  my  mind  must  be  visible.  And  before 
she  could  speak  I  simply  had  to  let  her  realize  that 
at  last  I  knew  who  the  man  was  she  preferred  to  me. 

"Mr.  Longstreet  isn't  in,  but  if  you  will  sit  down 
he  may  be  here  at  any  time,"  I  said. 

She  looked  at  me,  her  eyebrows  lifted.  "I  came 
192 


The  Alster  Case 


to  see  you,  not  Mr.  Longstreet,"  she  said  slowly 
after  a  minute. 

"Me?  Ah,  you  have  thought  of  something  else 
that  I  can  do  for  you?" 

Again  that  lifting  of  the  thick  dark  long  lashes 
that  no  longer  appeared  quite  so  wonderful  to  me. 
"N-o,"  she  said  quietly. 

In  spite  of  myself  my  eyes  dropped  before  hers. 
It  enraged  me.  "Then  why "  I  demanded. 

"I  happened  to  be  downtown  on  another  matter," 
she  said,  ignoring  my  treatment,  "and,  we  see  so  lit- 
tle of  you  at  the  house  lately,  I  thought  I  would 
come  in  to  thank  you  for  both  myself  and  Linda  for 
your  promptness." 

"My  promptness?" 

"Yes,  the  promptness  with  which  you  see  that  all 
our  wishes  are  carried  out.  We  both  appreciate  it, 
I  assure  you.  I  wanted  to  tell  you  so.  I  had  a 
feeling  that  our  troubles  of  the  past  week  might 
have  made  us  seem  heedless  and  ungrateful  to  you, 
and  it  hurt  me  to  think  that  you  might  have  such 
an  impression  when  you  have  really  been  so  kind 
and  indulgent  to  us  in  every  way." 

I  felt  uneasy  at  her  gratitude  after  my  rude  treat- 
ment. "I  haven't  done  anything — anything  that 

193 


The  Alster  Case 


my  duties  as  executor  have  not  called  on  me  to  do," 
I  waived. 

"Perhaps  not,  but  you  have  been  so  quick  and 
prompt.  I  wanted  you  to  know  that  we  appreci- 
ate it." 

"Prompt?" 

"About  the  automobile." 

"The  automobile?" 

"Yes,  and  the  chauffeur.  We  hadn't  even  spoken 
to  you  about  him." 

I  looked  at  her  with  amazement.  Lurking  in  my 
mind  was  a  new  suspicion.  Was  she  being  sarcastic 
with  me?  But  the  suspicion  could  not  gain  ground 
before  the  calm,  determined  kindness  in  her  look. 
"I — I  guess  I  don't  understand,"  I  floundered. 

She  smiled.  "You  have  done  so  much  for  us  that 
I  can  understand  why  you  shouldn't.  But  a  few 
days  ago  we  asked  you  for  a  car — now,  do  you  un- 
derstand?" 

"A  car?    You  mean  an  automobile?" 

"Yes,  and  this  morning  without  a  word  from  you 
up  it  comes  to  the  house  ready  for  immediate  use 
and  with  a  chauffeur  to  take  us  wherever  we  want 
to  go.  Linda  was  speaking  about  it  just  before  it 
arrived,  wondering  when  it  would  come,  and  I  had 

194 


The  Alster  Case 


just  told  her  that  I  didn't  think  you  would  be  able  to 
get  one  short  of  a  few  weeks  when " 

At  last  I  found  my  tongue.  "But — but  I  haven't 
sent  any  automobile,"  I  exclaimed. 

"Then  how " 

"Someone  must  have  heard  that  you  wanted  one 
and  sent  it  on  trial." 

"But "  She  stopped,  her  lips  parted  with 

alarm. 

"But  what?" 

"Why,  the  chauffeur  told  us  distinctly  that  you 
had  sent  him  and  the  car." 

"I  didn't.     You  must  have  misunderstood  him.'* 

"N-o,  I  heard  him  say  it  myself." 

"Well,  it  doesn't  matter." 

"But  it  does!" 

The  alarm  in  her  look  and  tone  communicated  it- 
self to  me.  "Why?"  I  demanded. 

"Because  Linda  went  out  to  drive  in  it.  Oh,  why 
did  I  let  her  go  out  alone  in  it!  I  had  an  errand 
downtown  and  she  wanted  to  go  out  along  the 
Drive,  so  I  saw  her  off  in  the  new  car  and  came 
downtown  in  the  subway.  I  don't  know  what  I  was 
thinking  of;  I  don't  see  why  I  didn't  call  you  up 
and  make  sure  it  was  all  right;  I  shall  never  forgive 

195 


The  Alster  Case 


myself  if  anything  has  happened  to  Linda."  She 
had  risen  from  her  seat,  and  stood  looking  appre- 
hensively out  of  the  window,  one  hand  behind  her 
for  support. 

"Nothing  has  happened,"  I  assured  her,  "nothing 
whatever  has  happened,  except  that  probably  some 
too  eager  automobile  salesman  has  outwitted  him- 
self." 

"I  don't  know.  I  don't  know,"  she  repeated 

dully.  "Suppose^ "  she  turned  suddenly  as  if 

impelled  to  confide  in  me  the  nature  of  her  fear; 
then,  at  my  look,  her  purpose  seemed  as  suddenly 
to  leave  her.  She  sighed  and  looked  away.  After 
a  moment  she  suddenly  straightened  up.  "I  must 
go — I  must  go  and  find  out,"  she  said  quickly  and 
without  another  word  she  hurried  out  of  my  office. 

Her  fears  seemed  to  me  preposterous  because 
unexplained,  but  I  hurried  away  to  luncheon  in  or- 
der to  be  present  in  case  she  telephoned  later.  When 
I  returned  another  card  was  lodged  against  my  ink- 
stand. It  read: 

FOOLISH  ANSWER  No.  3 

Women  lose  interest  in  dolls  when  they  grow  up, 
but  men — never! 

196 


The  Alster  Case 


Somehow  I  fancied  this  referred  to  Beatrice.  I 
frowned  at  Miss  Walsh  and  tore  it  to  pieces.  I  was 
at  the  other  end  of  the  office  hanging  up  my  hat 
when  the  telephone  rang.  Miss  Walsh  sprang  to  it 
ahead  of  me. 

"It's  she,"  she  said  in  a  queer  tone  and  I  realized 
I  had  been  correct  in  my  assumption. 

Beatrice's  voice  was  pitched  in  a  key  of  alarm. 

"Linda  hasn't  come  home.  She  promised  to  be 
back  by  noon.  It's  after  one  now,  and  I  am  scared 
simply  to  death.  What  am  I  to  do?  Please  tell 
me  what  to  do?"  she  cried  in  a  tone  that  trembled. 

I  did  my  best  to  calm  her,  told  her  that  Linda 
might  have  driven  further  than  she  intended,  might 
have  lost  sight  of  the  time,  or  might  have  been  de- 
layed in  getting  back  by  the  breaking  down  of  the 
car. 

"I  know — I  know — I've  thought  of  all  those 
things,"  she  exclaimed  unconvinced.  "But  what  am 
I  to  do?  Please  tell  me  what  to  do." 

"You  can't  do  anything  except  to  wait  until  she 
comes  back  and  explains  why  she  is  late,"  I  replied. 

"Wait!     Wait!     I  can't  wait  any  longer." 

"But  what  else  is  there  to  do?"  I  grew  a  little 
impatient  at  her  unnecessary  alarm. 

197 


The  Alster  Case 


"I  feel  I  ought  to  tell  the  police.     I  feel  I 

"What,  and  have  them  swarm  up  there  with  the 
reporters  behind  them?  No,  be  patient.  Wait  until 
Miss  Linda  returns!"  I  expostulated. 

"She  isn't  coming  back!  She  isn't  coming  back! 
I'm  sure  of  it,"  she  cried. 

"Why  isn't  she  coming  back?"  I  demanded. 

She  hesitated  and  then  avoided  answering  my 
question.  "She  isn't  coming  back.  I  know  it. 
That's  all  I  can  tell  you.  But  I  must  have  some- 
one to  help  me  find  her.  Mr.  Trask!  Where  can 
I  find  him?" 

"I  don't  know.     He's  away  somewhere." 

"Oh,  why  did  I  ever  allow  her  to  go  out  in  that 
car  alone?"  Her  self-reproach  was  bitter.  "I 
might  have  known.  I — oh,  can't  you  find  Mr.  Trask 
for  me?" 

"I'm  sorry,  but  I  haven't  the  least  idea  where  he 
is.  Why  alarm  yourself  so  unnecessarily?  Why 
do  you  think  she  isn't  coming  back?" 

She  did  not  answer. 

"Why  do  you  think  she  isn't  coming  back?"  I  per- 
sisted. 

"I — oh,  Mr.  Swan,  couldn't  you  come  right  up 
here?" 

198 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes — if  it's  necessary." 

"Please  don't  be  so  cool  about  it!  Oh,  Mr.  Swan, 
if  you  only  knew!  I  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  Linda  has  been  kidnapped." 

"Kidnapped?    By  whom?" 

"Please  don't  stop  to  ask  questions.  Please  come 
right  up  here." 

"All  right,  I'm  coming." 

I  hung  up  the  receiver  and  stared  stupidly  at  the 
letters  awaiting  my  signature.  Kidnapped?  But 
who  would  kidnap  Linda  Alster?  I  could  find  no 
answer,  but  Beatrice's  clamorous  certainty  began  to 
get  to  me,  began  to  raise  the  possibility  before  me 
for  the  first  time,  and  I  wondered  what  I  should  do 
in  case  she  had  really  been  abducted.  After  all, 
what  could  I  do  except  what  I  had  advised  Beatrice 
against  doing?  And  if  the  police  were  called  in — 
no,  that  must  be  avoided  by  all  means.  But  what 
could  I  do?  Taking  down  my  coat,  I  paused  mid- 
way and  thought. 

"Pleasure  before  business,  I  notice,"  commented 
Miss  Walsh  in  a  low  voice. 

It  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  spoken  sar- 
castically to  me,  though  she  was  famous  for  her 
sharp  tongue.  I  began  to  understand.  But  my  mind 

199 


The  Alster  Case 


was  too  taken  up  with  the  baffling  task  confronting 
me  to  suffer  any  delay  or  distraction.  I  pretended 
not  to  hear  and  continued  my  preparations  for  leav- 
ing the  office.  On  my  desk  when  I  returned  to  it 
for  a  last  look  was  another  card: 

FOOLISH  ANSWER  No.  4 

Anyone  I  don't  like  looks  awful  small  to  me,  but 
— it's  a  poor  match  that  won't  light  when  it's 
scratched. 

I  turned  it  face  down  without  looking  at  her. 
What  was  I  to  do  about  Linda's  disappearance? 
Where  was  Trask?  Detectives  were  always  around 
when  not  needed  and  never  when  needed.  I  leaped 
toward  the  door  and  as  I  reached  for  the  handle 
the  door  was  suddenly  opened  right  in  my  face. 
And  in  the  entrance  stood  Trask. 


XIII 

TRASK  surprised  me  by  sharing  Beatrice's 
alarm  over  the  non-appearance  of  Linda. 
He    was    eager    for   the    details    and   re- 
proached me  for  not  asking  Beatrice  for  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  chauffeur. 

"A  good  description  might  have  made  me  quite 
certain  on  one  point,"  he  stated.  "The  use  of  a 
cipher  and  the  ruse  of  sending  the  violets  addressed 
to  Miss  Beatrice  made  me  suspect  that  Keith  must 
be  working  with  confederates.  And  now  the  em- 
ployment of  an  automobile  makes  matters  look  still 
worse.  You've  noticed  how  much  the  most  enter- 
prising crooks  are  using  automobiles  lately,  haven't 
you?  This  suggests  even  more  strongly  that,  in- 
stead of  having  merely  Keith  to  deal  with,  we  may 
perhaps  have  to  combat  one  or  more  of  the  shrewd- 
est criminals  in  New  York,  one  of  those  first  to  uti- 
lize each  new  invention,  one  of  those  who  soon  will 
be  using  monoplanes  for  second-story  work  on  sky- 
scrapers. But  which  one?  That  is  what  I  would 
like  to  learn  just  as  soon  as  I  can."  He  noticed  at 

201 


The  Alster  Case 


once  how  his  criticism  annoyed  me;  he  pacified  me 
on  our  way  uptown  in  the  subway  by  reporting  his 
discoveries  regarding  Keith. 

"Well,  Swan,"  he  began,  "you  see  before  you  a 
man  who  has  served  just  about  a  week  at  hard  la- 
bor. It  was  necessary  to  learn  precisely  what  sort 
of  a  character  we  were  after  in  this  man  Keith.  I 
wanted  his  past  in  order  to  get  an  index  to  his  habits 
and  associates;  given  these  one  gains  some  notion  of 
where  to  look  for  a  man;  and  not  so  much  as  a  start 
could  I  obtain  from  anyone  at  the  house.  The  girls 
knew  nothing;  the  servants  knew  nothing;  I  couldn't 
learn  even  from  which  employment  agency  he  had 
come,  nor  how  Miss  Alster  had  happened  to  en- 
gage him  as  butler.  All  I  had  was  an  excellent  de- 
scription of  his  appearance  put  together  from  details 
supplied  by  them  all. 

"This  sent  me  down  first  to  police  headquarters 
to  learn  if  he  had  been  'mugged.'  Virtually  a  day 
wasted  there  and  nothing  found.  Two  more  days 
wasted  in  making  a  complete  canvass  of  the  em- 
ployment agencies  and  nothing  there.  This  threw 
me  back  on  my  last  resource,  the  chanty  organiza- 
tions. When  you  fail  to  find  your  man  on  the  card 
lists  of  the  active,  professional  criminals,  you  can 

202 


The  Alster  Case 


frequently  come  upon  him  among  the  shiftless,  ap- 
prentice criminals  who  work  the  chanties.  But  I 
never  resort  to  this  until  every  other  method  has 
failed.  Without  a  man's  name  or  particular  game 
it  is  a  long  and  weary  hunt  among  a  forest  of  pa- 
pers. And  Keith  I  strongly  suspected  to  be  a 
newly  assumed  name. 

"Four  days  at  the  charity  societies  groping  wildly 
among  confused  papers  setting  forth  the  names  and 
games  of  the  half-rogues.  Swan,  a  man  never  feels 
dirtier  than  after  poring  over  old  papers,  buried  In 
the  settled  dust  of  time.  I  have  taken  so  many  bath's 
in  the  past  four  days  that  my  skin  feels  worn  thin. 
You  know?  Only  your  hands  get  soiled,  but  you 
feel  dirty  all  over  and  wish  you  could  wash  inside 
as  well  as  outside,  externally,  eternally.  Four  long, 

steady,  endless  days  of  that,  but "  Trask 

laughed  contentedly,  "but  something  from  it  all  at 
last." 

"Ah,  you  found  his  record?" 

"Yes,  late  yesterday  afternoon.  Not  much,  but 
enough  to  set  me  going  right.  Twenty  years  ago 
the  Charity  Organization  began  to  receive  a  steady 
stream  of  inquiries  about  three  forms  of  begging 
letters.  The  letters  appeared  to  emanate  from 

203 


The  Alster  Case 


three  different  people,  two  men  and  one  woman,  as 
they  were  written  invariably  in  three  forms.  The 
woman's  letter  always  began,  'I  know  your  tender 
womanly  nature  will  answer  the  cry  of  a  poor 
woman  whose  husband  is  disabled  by  accident  and 
whose  baby  is  crying  for  milk,  and  so  forth';  one 
of  the  men's  letters  always  began,  'I  am  in  great 
trouble,  a  wife  sick  in  confinement,  a  baby  dead, 
and  no  money  to  bury  it.  I  don't  want  my  baby  to 
go  to  the  potter's  field,  and  so  forth' ;  and  the  other 
man's  letters  as  inevitably  opened,  'There  is  a  story 
told  about  a  shipwrecked  sailor  who  felt  he  had  a 
claim  on  God  to  hear  his  prayers  because  he 
troubled  him  so  seldom,' — and  then  a  humorous 
touch  for  a  loan.  But  money  in  response  to  all 
three  appeals  was  requested  to  be  sent  to  the  same 
rooming  house  on  the  Bowery.  One  of  the  Charity 
Organization's  agents  went  down  to  investigate  and 
found  that  one  man  and  his  wife  were  responsible 
for  them  all.  They  went  by  the  name  of  Taylor. 
They  had  reams  of  paper,  boxes  of  envelopes,  blue- 
books,  directories,  newspapers,  and  were  sending 
out  begging  letters  by  the  dozens  every  day  and 
using  their  son,  a  little  boy  of  seven  or  eight,  to  help 
write  them  and  to  run  errands. 

204 


The  Alster  Case 


"Well,  all  the  agent  did  was  to  throw  the  scare 
into  them  and  take  away  the  boy.  That  boy  was 
turned  over  to  one  of  the  foundling  asylums  and 
brought  up  until  he  became  old  enough  to  earn  his 
own  living.  That  boy  was  Keith." 

"Keith?  The  man  who  worked  as  butler  at  Miss 
Alster's?  Impossible!" 

"Not  at  all.  Nothing  is  impossible.  He  worked 
for  just  two  days  as  apprentice  to  a  goldbeater,  the 
job  the  foundling  asylum  secured  for  him,  and  then 
he  vanished." 

"Then  how " 

"I'm  coming  to  that.  Ten  years  later  one  of  the 
officials  found  him  working  as  an  omnibus,  that  is,  a 
helper  to  the  waiters  at  one  of  the  big  hotels,  but 
as  he  seemed  to  be  earning  an  honest  living  the  char- 
ity agent  let  him  alone.  Yet  more  than  a  year  and 
a  half  ago,  running  down  another  especially  ac- 
tive and  successful  begging  letter  writer,  they  came 
upon  this  young  man  again.  He  said  he  had  fallen 
sick  and  been  forced  to  resort  to  writing  begging  let- 
ters for  easy  money  until  he  could  find  another  place 
as  a  waiter,  but  probably  the  blood  of  his  shiftless 
parents  was  beginning  to  tell.  However,  the  charity 
agent  got  him  a  position  as  footman  with  one  of 

205 


The  Alster  Case 


the  wealthy  families  on  lower  Fifth  Avenue;  he 
worked  there  about  two  weeks,  appeared  to  like  the 
easy  life,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  kicked  up  his 
heels  and  disappeared  again.  That  is  the  last 
record  of  Mr.  Keith;  there's  a  wide  gap  of 
nearly  a  year  and  a  half  between  the  time  he 
left  there  and  the  time  he  went  to  work  as  butler 
for  Miss  Alster,  about  which  nothing  whatever 
is  known." 

"But  what  became  of  the  parents?" 
"After  the  agent  threw  that  scare  into  them  they 
packed  up  and  decamped,  to  another  city  probably, 
until  things  blew  over.  Four  years  later  they  were 
run  down  here  again  playing  the  same  old  game. 
The  woman  had  a  two-year-old  baby  with  her  that 
the  society  took  away;  she  seemed  willing  enough  to 
let  some  one  else  bring  up  her  little  girl.  There 
was  a  reason,  but  I  won't  go  into  that  now.  Then 
they  vanished  again.  Five  years  later  reports  came 
in  about  them  from  Boston,  where  they  were  play- 
ing the  same  old  game.  No  record  since,  but  I'm 
having  the  entire  family  looked  into  further  and 
expect  more  news  about  them  any  day." 

We  were  on  an  express  that  had  just  drawn  out 
from  the  Fourteenth  Street  station. 

206 


The  Alster  Case 


"And  all  this  makes  you  more  eager  than  ever 
to  lay  hands  on  Keith?"  I  inquired,  to  make 
talk. 

Tr-ask  merely  laughed  and  nodded  his  head  in 
silence. 

I  pondered  over  the  strange  story  of  shiftless, 
aimless  lives  he  had  told  me.  From  time  to  time 
I  glanced  at  him,  but  he  seemed  engrossed  in  some 
problem  of  his  own.  Our  express  train  passed  sta- 
tion after  station.  I  found  myself  looking  at  the 
passengers  in  a  local  we  had  caught  up  with  and 
were  slowly  passing.  Suddenly  I  made  a  grab  for 
Trask's  arm. 

"Look!    Quick!"!  cried. 

"What  is  it?  Be  careful,"  he  warned.  Instead 
of  looking  toward  the  local  he  turned  toward  me, 
shutting  off  my  sight  of  it  with  his  whole  body. 

"What  are  you  doing?  It's  Keith,  there  in  that 
local  we're  passing,"  I  protested. 

"Yes,  I  hoped  as  much,  but  there's  no  need  of 
warning  him,"  he  replied,  continuing  to  keep  his 
body  in  the  way.  "Did  he  see  you?" 

"No,  but " 

"What  station  was  that  we  just  passed?"  he  in- 
terrupted. 

207 


The  Alster  Case 


"The  Twenty-eighth  Street,  but  are  you  going  to 
let  him  get  away  like  this?"  I  expostulated. 

He  did  not  answer.  In  a  moment  he  outlined  his 
plans. 

"Go  to  the  rear  door  of  this  train,"  he  ordered, 
"and  the  moment  it  stops  hurry  across  and  down 
the  platform  where  the  local  will  pull  in.  Station 
yourself  where  the  last  car  of  the  local  will  stop. 
As  soon  as  it  draws  in  walk  up  along  the  train  look- 
ing at  those  who  get  off  and  those  inside.  If  you 
see  him  inside  get  on  and  shadow  him.  If  you  see 
him  get  off  follow  him  from  here.  But  above  all 
keep  on  walking  forward." 

"Why?"  I  asked. 

"Later.  We're  drawing  in  to  the  Grand  Central 
stop.  Hurry  now  and  do  just  what  I  told  you."  Pie 
had  already  risen;  as  I  rose  he  gave  me  a  shove 
toward  the  rear  door  of  our  car  and  he  himself 
ran  toward  the  door  at  the  other  end. 

The  local  came  shooting  into  the  station  and  I  did 
precisely  as  Trask  had  ordered.  Running  into  peo- 
ple, being  shoved  this  way  and  that,  I  hurried  along 
the  platform,  looking  from  the  people  on  it  to  the 
passengers  on  the  train  until  my  head  swung  as  on 
a  pivot.  But  it  was  slow  work,  and  before  I  had 

208 


The  Alster  Case 


gone  half  the  length  of  the  train  its  doors  began  to 
slam  and  I  realized  it  would  be  off  with  only  half 
of  the  cars  as  yet  covered.  I  hesitated  before  one 
of  the  last  doors  remaining  open,  wondering  what 
I  was  to  do  in  such  a  situation.  The  fact  that  the 
guard  was  about  to  shut  the  door  convinced  me 
that  I  had  better  get  on  the  train  before  it  pulled 
away.  I  made  a  leap  toward  the  closing  door  and 
was  brought  abruptly  back  by  a  strong  grip  on  my 
arm. 

"Well,  you  didn't  see  him,  did  you?"  inquired 
Trask,  releasing  his  hold. 

"No,  but  how  do  you  know  he  was  not  on  one  of 
the  cars  further  ahead?"  I  demanded. 

"Don't  worry  about  those.  I  covered  them,"  he 
assured  me. 

"Yes,  but  you've  never  seen  Keith.  How  would 
you  know  him?  That  was  the  reason  I  wanted  you 
to  look  at  him  on  the  train." 

"No,  I've  never  seen  him,  but "  Trask 

laughed  confidently. 

"You  surely  don't  rely  upon  picking  him  out 
among  dozens  of  passengers  merely  by  a  descrip- 
tion." 

"Why  not?  Listen!  Perhaps  you  can  add  some- 
209 


The  Alster  Case 


thing  to  the  details  already  gathered  on  him.  Five 
feet  ten;  weight  170  to  180;  light  brown  hair,  gray 
eyes;  fair  complexion;  small,  regular  teeth;  has 
waiter's  walk;  left  eyelid  droops  a  little;  right  shoul- 
der a  good  inch  lower  than  left — if  you  had  all 
those  details  right  in  the  front  of  your  mind  and 
were  trained  to  do  it,  don't  you  think  you  could  pick 
out  your  man  from  the  description?" 

I  stood  amazed  at  the  quickness  with  which  he 
had  rattled  off  the  long  list  of  details;  his  assur- 
ance no  longer  seemed  so  childish;  I  had  not  a  word 
to  say. 

"At  least,  I  can  promise  you  that  no  man  an- 
swering that  description  was  in  the  first  four  cars 
of  that  local  when  it  drew  into  this  station,"  Trask 
went  on.  "Only  one  thing  could  have  happened; 
he  got  off  at  the  Thirty-third  street  station." 

"What  shall  we  do  about  it?"  I  asked  humbly. 

"Nothing  just  now."  Trask  took  my  arm. 
"Come,  we  might  as  well  go  up  and  take  the  sur- 
face car  to  our  destination." 

"And  let  him  get  away?" 

"He  can't  get  away  any  more  than  he  has  al- 
ready; and  you  forget  that  Miss  Beatrice  is  wait- 
ing for  us,"  rejoined  Trask  easily. 

210 


The  Alster  Case 


Marveling  at  the  ease  with  which  he  took  our 
loss,  I  submitted  and  followed  him  upstairs  to  the 
surface  car  which  bore  us  to  the  residence  of  the 
late  Miss  Alster. 

Beatrice  was  in  the  hall  when  we  entered,  and 
one  look  at  her  face  was  enough  to  tell  me  that 
she  had  not  yet  heard  from  Linda.  Her  agitated 
look  brightened  a  little  when  she  looked  beyond 
me  and  observed  Trask  following. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad  that  you  have  come,  too,"  she 
exclaimed,  reaching  impulsively  for  his  hand. 

"Probably  you  don't  need  me,  now  that  Mr. 
Trask  is  here,"  I  ventured  with  slightly  more  sar- 
casm than  I  intended. 

"Oh,  you  know  I  didn't  mean  anything  like  that," 
she  said,  looking  at  me  reproachfully  before  leading 
us  both  into  the  reception  room.  Here  she  told 
the  whole  story  of  Linda's  disappearance  again,  and 
not  to  Trask,  but  to  me.  I  felt  my  importance  re- 
new itself;  I  made  up  my  mind  that  at  last  I  had 
learned  the  way  to  treat  her  so  that  she  would  better 
appreciate  me. 

Trask,  after  learning  that  she  could  give  him  no 
definite  description  of  the  chauffeur,  listened  to  her 
without  a  single  interruption.  In  fact,  it  was  some 

211 


The  Alster  Case 


time  before  he  broke  with  a  question  the  silence 
that  followed  her  story. 

"So  you  feel  positive  that  she  has  been  kidnapped, 
do  you?"  he  inquired  at  last,  and  with  a  quiet  sig- 
nificance that  was  not  to  be  overlooked. 

"I — I — oh,  yes,  I  feel  sure  of  it,"  she  faltered, 
blushing. 

"So  do  I." 

Trask's  curt,  decisive  statement  made  us  both 
start.  Before  we  could  express  surprise  he  caught 
her  up  with  another  question : 

"And  now,  whom  do  you  suspect  of  kidnapping 
her?" 

"I — I "  Beatrice  stopped  short  and  appeared 

too  confused  to  continue. 

"You  don't  dare  to  tell?" 

Beatrice  after  a  sigh  slowly  shook  her  head. 

"It  would  betray  a  secret  you  have  sworn  not  to 
tell?" 

Again  that  deep  sigh  and  the  slow  shake  of  her 
head. 

"You  fear  she  was  kidnapped  by  Keith,  don't 
you?" 

Beatrice  gave  a  little  gasp  and  shrank  away  from 
him. 

212 


The  Alster  Case 


"So  do  I."  Trask  read  her  unintentional  ac- 
knowledgment as  I  had  read  it.  "That's  all.  We 
won't  annoy  you  further,  Miss  Beatrice,"  he  said 
quickly  and  in  a  softer  tone.  He  turned  to  me  and 
made  talk  until  she  quite  recovered  from  her  dismay. 

"Please,  Mr.  Trask,  do  what  you  can,  even  if  I 
can't  tell  you  any  more,  you  will,  won't  you?"  she 
begged  him  in  a  voice  that  trembled. 

"Yes,  my  dear  girl,  don't  worry." 

Her  appeal  to  him  rather  than  to  me  irritated  me 
again.  I  decided  that  now  was  the  time  to  do  a  lit- 
tle detective  work  myself. 

"We  shall  need  money,"  I  declared,  and,  despite 
Trask's  frown,  went  on,  "Can  you  let  us  have  some 
of  the  thousand  dollars  I  got  for  you  the  other  day?" 

"I — I  have  only  a  few  dollars  of  it  left,"  Bea- 
trice's long  lashes  dropped  over  her  eyes.  "I'm 
sorry  it — it  is  all  gone." 

My  eyes  swept  to  Trask  and  there  was  triumph 
in  them,  but  he  was  walking  away  toward  the  front 
of  the  room.  Was  he  angry  with  me  or  had  he 
turned  his  back  only  to  hide  his  satisfaction  at  the 
acknowledgment  I  had  forced  from  her?  In  a  mo- 
ment I  perceived  another  possible  reason  for  his 
withdrawal. 

213 


The  Alster  Case 


"I  am  sorry  if  I  intrude,"  exclaimed  a  new  voice 
behind  me,  "but  if  you  want  money  I  can  let  you 
have  all  you  need." 

I  turned.  In  the  doorway  stood  Allan  Long- 
street.  He  was  looking  not  at  me,  but  at  Beatrice. 
I  looked  from  Beatrice  to  him.  As  he  advanced 
toward  her  with  a  look  on  his  face  that  seemed  too 
assured  of  his  welcome,  my  anger  got  the  better  of 
me. 

"If  you'll  excuse  me,  I  think  it  would  be  much 
better  if "  I  began  with  open  hostility. 

"No,  I  sent  for  Mr.  Longstreet,"  interrupted  Be- 
atrice firmly. 

"Oh!    You  sent  for  him?" 

"Yes,  I  feared  you  wouldn't "  her  hesita- 
tion was  as  insulting  as  if  she  hadn't  corrected  her- 
self— "wouldn't  be  able  to  come  soon,  so  I  sent  for 
Mr.  Longstreet,  too — afterward.  I  couldn't  stand 
the  suspense — I — it  isn't  his  fault — if  it's  anyone's 
fault  it's " 

"It  isn't  anyone's  fault,"  interrupted  Longstreet, 
taking  her  hand,  "and  if  anyone  considers  my  ar- 
rival an  intrusion  and  objects  to  my  joining  in  the 
hunt  for  Miss  Linda,  I  can  easily  enough  remedy 
that." 

214 


The  Alster  Case 


"How?"  I  burst  out,  still  further  enraged  at  his 
holding  her  hand. 

"By  conducting  a  search  of  my  own,"  he  replied 
coolly,  though  his  gray  eyes  glinted  angrily. 

I  looked  at  Trask  for  encouragement.  His  eyes 
were  on  the  floor  and  refused  to  meet  mine.  I 
had  a  feeling  that  he,  too,  was  against  me. 

"In  that  case,"  I  exclaimed,  "I  think  that  I  also 
can  take  up  the  hunt  alone."  With  a  sweeping  look 
at  them  all  which  provoked  no  objections,  I  turned 
on  my  heel  and  left  the  room. 

With  a  feeling  that  everybody's  hand  was  raised 
against  me,  I  returned  to  my  office  and  sought  to 
distract  my  mind  with  work  put  aside.  But  pressing 
matters  were  soon  attended  to,  and  I  felt  Miss 
Walsh's  eyes  upon  me  perceiving  a  sense  of  out- 
rage no  longer  to  be  concealed.  With  the  first  batch 
of  letters  she  brought  me  was  a  card  on  whicK  was 
written  in  her  hand, 


I  pretended  not  to  have  seen  it.  I  had  returned 
to  my  office  for  distraction,  but  this  was  not  the  sort 
my  mind  welcomed  then.  I  attended  to  a  few  mat- 

215 


The  Alster  Case 


ters.  I  fled  to  the  Waldorf  for  dinner.  Here,  quite 
alone,  getting  a  bitter  satisfaction  from  my  own 
loneliness,  I  indulged  my  feelings.  On  me  was  a 
tingling  rage  at  the  small  part  in  affairs  I  was  per- 
mitted to  take,  and  from  this  arose  a  sudden  de- 
termination to  show  my  power.  Beatrice,  Long- 
street,  Trask — all  should  reckon  with  me  from  now 
on.  I  lighted  a  cigar,  the  strongest  to  be  had,  and 
started  at  a  furious  pace  toward  the  Thirty-third 
Street  exit  of  the  hotel.  And  then  through  the  re- 
volving door  I  saw  someone — someone  at  sight  of 
whom  all  my  seething,  undirected  impulses  crystal- 
lized into  a  single  purpose. 

It  was  Keith  whom  I  had  seen  pass  that  door.  I 
gave  him  a  few  minutes'  start  and  then  followed, 
taking  the  other  side  of  the  street.  He  was  walking 
bent  forward  as  if  his  arms  were  loaded  down.  He 
looked  back  once  and  I  dived  into  a  doorway,  con- 
gratulating myself  upon  having  escaped  unnoticed. 
From  this  point  of  vantage,  through  the  two  show 
windows  of  the  store  I  saw  him  turn  into  the  base- 
ment of  one  of  the  houses  lying  midway  in  the  block 
between  the  Waldorf  and  Broadway.  I  had  run 
him  down,  I  had  run  Keith  down!  I  waited  a  dis- 
creet interval  before  emerging  to  inspect  the  house 

216 


The  Alster  Case 


he  had  entered.  It  proved  to  be  one  of  a  short  row 
of  ordinary,  old-fashioned,  brownstone  front  resi- 
dences left  among  the  neighboring  skyscrapers  by 
the  uptown  flight  of  New  York's  inhabitants.  I 
passed  it  again  and  again,  first  cautiously  on  the 
other  side  of  the  street,  and  then,  as  I  grew  bolder, 
upon  the  side  on  which  it  was  located.  The  base- 
ment door  and  windows,  I  noted,  were  heavily 
barred;  at  all  the  windows  hung  heavy  lace  curtains 
through  which  I  ought  to  have  seen  lights  if  the 
house  were  occupied,  yet  not  the  faintest  gleam 
could  I  detect;  otherwise  the  house  differed  not  in 
any  respect  from  thousands  of  others  of  its  kind. 
But  if  the  suspicions  of  Beatrice  and  Trask  were 
correct,  there,  in  this  house,  at  this  very  moment, 
Linda  might  be  held  against  her  will.  And  I — I 
was  the  only  one  who  knew — the  one  who  must  act. 
I  roamed  up  and  down  the  street,  never  taking  my 
eyes  from  the  house,  and  trying  to  determine  what 
action  to  take.  A  weak  impulse  to  call  on  Trask  for 
aid  I  choked  down.  No,  this  was  my  find.  I  would 
show  him  and  the  others  of  what  caliber  I  was 
made.  Gradually  into  my  thoughts  worked  a  fear 
that  the  man  I  had  followed  might  perhaps  not  be 
Keith.  Also,  if  it  were,  he  might  observe  me  walk- 

217 


The  Alster  Case 


ing  up  and  down  the  street.  To  avoid  this,  I  slipped 
deep  into  the  doorway  of  a  skyscraper  diagonally 
opposite  to  prepare  some  plan  for  gaining  entrance 
to  the  house.  And  then,  as  I  stood  there,  my  eyes 
and  whole  attention  directed  across  the  street,  the 
door  directly  behind  me  must  have  been  suddenly 
opened,  for  two  hands  clutched  me  by  the  shoul- 
ders, and  before  I  could  utter  a  cry  I  was  forcibly 
pulled  inside  and  the  door  closed  in  my  face. 


XIV 

WITH  a  quick  swing  I  jerked  free  from  the 
hands  and  turned,  facing  my  assailant. 
With  the  same  continuous  movement  I 
closed  my  fists  and  set  my  body  in  an  attitude  of  self- 
defense.  But  by  this  time  my  eyes  recognized  the 
man  who  had  pulled  me  in  there;  and  my  arms  fell 
supinely  to  my  sides. 

"Excuse  the  rough  handling,"  said  Trask,  smil- 
ing, "only  if  we  had  allowed  you  to  parade  up  and 
down  there  much  longer  Keith  would  certainly  have 
noticed  you,  if  he  hasn't  already." 

"Oh,  then  you  have  run  him  down,  too?"  I  de- 
manded. 

"Picked  up  his  trail  this  afternoon,  ran  him  down 
within  ten  minutes,  and  now  we've  got  an  office  up- 
stairs where  we  can  watch  in  safety  just  what's  go- 
ing on  across  the  street." 

"We?"  I  demanded,  stifling  my  disappoint- 
ment. 

"Come  upstairs  and  get  our  point  of  view,"  re- 
sponded Trask,  avoiding  my  question.  "You  won't 

219 


The  Alster  Case 


mind  climbing  four  flights?     The  elevator  doesn't 
run  nights  after  seven." 

He  hurried  away  up  the  dark  stairway  that  ran 
around  the  elevator  well  and  I  followed,  my  feel- 
ings mixed,  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  at  having  his 
aid  in  the  affair  at  hand  mingling  with  one  of  dis- 
appointment that  he  should  have  run  down  Keith 
ahead  of  me  after  all.  But  my  feelings  were  no 
longer  mixed  when  I  entered  the  office  on  the  fourth 
floor  to  which  he  led  me.  There  I  found  a  man 
whom,  in  the  half  light  coming  from  the  street,  I 
recognized  to  be  Longstreet,  and  all  my  earlier  ani- 
mosity against  him  resumed  its  sway  over  me. 

He  was  standing  just  away  from  the  plate  glass 
front  window  with  opera  glasses  at  his  eyes  watch- 
ing the  house  opposite.  At  my  entrance  he  turned 
and  spoke  to  me  affably  enough,  but  victors  can 
afford  to  be  affable. 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me  he  was  here?"  I  de- 
manded of  Trask  in  a  low  voice. 

Longstreet  must  have  heard,  but  he  paid  no  at- 
tention. As  for  Trask,  he  merely  looked  at  me 
without  answering. 

"Can't  you  dispense  with  him,  now  that  I'm  here 
to  help  you?"  I  persisted. 

220 


The  Alster  Case 


Trask  took  me  by  the  arm  and  led  me  aside  to 
the  far  end  of  the  office.  "Considering  that  he 
first  located  Keith  and  also,  at  my  advice,  hired  this 
office,  I  don't  think  your  suggestion  sounds  very 
reasonable,"  whispered  Trask.  "Now,  be  good." 
He  turned  and  left  me. 

"We're  all  here  with  the  same  object.  So  let's 
at  least  be  friends  until  the  hunt  is  over,"  called  out 
Longstreet  in  a  voice  conciliating  enough  to  allow 
me  a  dignified  escape  from  the  disagreeable  situa- 
tion into  which  my  jealousy  had  forced  me. 

"But  why  wait?  Why  not  call  the  police?"  I  de- 
manded. 

"No  evidence.  We  don't  yet  know  that  Miss 
Linda  is  there,"  responded  Trask. 

"There  are  three  of  us.  Why  not  go  and  find 
out?" 

"Just  how  would  you  suggest  doing  that?"  asked 
Trask. 

"Why!  Suppose  you  and  I  go  right  up  to  the 
front  door  and  ring,  while  Mr.  Longstreet  stays 
outside  watching  the  basement  door.  When  the 
door  is  opened  we  surely  can  force  our  way  in." 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  that  house?"  re- 
torted Trask.  "Well,  I  do.  It's  a  temporarily  de- 

221 


The  Alster  Case 


serted  gambling  house  known  as  the  Iron  Door. 
That  door  would  never  be  opened.  They  would 
merely  look  us  over  through  some  peephole  and 
escape  by  the  way  the  gamblers  used  to  take." 

"They?"  I  inquired.  "Is  there  more  than  Keith 
there?" 

"He's  the  only  man  we've  seen  enter  the  house," 
replied  Trask,  "but  Keith,  according  to  my  notion, 
is  not  quite  the  caliber  of  man  to  dare  carry  out 
an  undertaking  of  this  sort  alone.  And  the  work 
so  far  implies  that  he  has  the  aid  or  at  least  the 
advice  of  more  intelligent  and  skilled  criminals. 
It's  unfortunate  that  Miss  Beatrice's  description  of 
the  chauffeur  who  drove  off  with  Miss  Linda  wasn't 
definite  enough  to  give  me  a  clew  to  the  identity  of 
one  of  them.  But  that  there  are  more  than  Keith 
concerned  in  this  I  am  confident.  In  fact,  he  re- 
cently carried  sufficient  food  into  the  house  for  four 
or  five  people,  judging  from  the  bundles." 

"There  must  be  some  way,"  I  complained,  ad- 
vancing toward  the  window.  Rebelling  at  the  way 
all  my  suggestions  were  turned  down,  I  studied  the 
house.  "Why  not  try  to  effect  an  entrance  through 
the  skylight?"  I  demanded. 

"Barred,  unquestionably,"  responded  Trask. 

222 


The  Alster  Case 


"We  don't  know  that.  Look  at  that  house  next 
door.  One  can  tell  by  the  light  in  the  lower  hall 
and  the  unlocked  outer  door  that  it  is  divided  into 
apartments;  and  I've  just  seen  the  janitor  go  out. 
Why  not  go  up  to  its  roof  and  try  to  enter  through 
the  skylight  of  this  one?"  I  had  warmed  to  my 
suggestion  and  my  voice  was  growing  louder  and 
more  determined. 

"Ssssh!"  cautioned  Longstreet,  "if  I'm  not  mis- 
taken someone  is  coming  out." 

We  drew  near  the  window.  It  was  Keith.  We 
watched  him  leave  the  house,  hurry  along  the  street 
and  jump  into  a  taxi  near  the  McAlpin. 

"Now's  our  chance,"  I  cried  excitedly. 

Neither  of  them  said  anything. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  you're  going  to  let  a 
chance  like  this  get  away  from  you?"  I  demanded 
angrily. 

Longstreet  looked  toward  Trask  as  if  for  or- 
ders. Trask  neither  moved  nor  said  a  word. 

"Do  you  know  what  you  look  like  to  me?  You 
look  like  a  pair  of  cowards,"  I  scoffed,  jerking  away 
from  them  toward  the  door. 

"Hold  on  there,  where  are  you  going?"  de- 
manded Trask,  turning  alertly  toward  me. 

223 


The  Alster  Case 


"I'm  going  to  try  it  myself,  alone,"  I  announced. 

"Don't  be  so  idiotic,"  Trask  urged,  "we  don't 
even  know  that  she's  in  that  house.  And,  if  she  is, 
you  may  be  sure  that  the  heavy  men  in  this  plot 
have  been  left  behind  on  guard.  If  we  go  over 
there  and  bungle  we'll  only  succeed  in  warning  them 
or  putting  her  in  greater  danger." 

"Well,  I  for  one  don't  intend  to  stay  here  and 
look  on  like  a  mere  spectator,"  I  stormed. 

"Yes,  there  are  three  of  us  against  any  who 
may  be  there,  why  not  make  a  try?"  chimed  in  Long- 
street. 

"Well,  have  your  own  way."  Trask  sighed. 
"But  wait  a  minute."  He  withdrew  to  a  corner  of 
the  office,  opened  a  bag,  and  in  the  dark  appeared 
to  be  putting  something  about  his  body  under  his 
coat. 

"What  are  you  doing?  Putting  on  armor?"  I 
demanded,  feeling  more  jocular  now  that  my  sugges- 
tion was  to  be  acted  upon. 

"I'm  preparing  to  save  your  enterprise  from 
almost  certain  defeat,"  replied  Trask,  and  would 
not  answer  another  question. 

We  made  a  detour  up  the  street,  crossed  to  the 
other  side  and  entered  the  apartment  house  next 

224 


The  Alster  Case 


door.     Making  as  little  noise  as  possible,  we  ascend- 
ed the  stairs  and  gained  the  roof  without  difficulty. 

"There !  You  see  how  easy  it  was,"  I  could  not 
forbear  exclaiming  triumphantly. 

"Yes,  but  now  suppose  you  go  over  and  examine 
your  skylight,"  retorted  Trask,  standing  aside  and 
awarding  me  the  right  of  way. 

I  stepped  over  the  low  parapet  between  the  roofs 
of  the  two  buildings.-  Longstreet  followed,  but 
Trask  remained  behind,  leaning  against  the  parapet, 
merely  watching  us. 

I  hurried  across  the  roof,  followed  by  Long- 
street.  There  was  no  skylight.  The  projection 
above  the  roof  which  I  had  taken  for  one  proved 
to  be  merely  a  hatchway  with  a  hard  steel  cover. 
I  tried  to  raise  this.  It  would  not  budge.  Long- 
street  and  I  got  down  on  our  knees,  tried  the  cor- 
ners, ends,  sides,  without  discovering  an  aperture 
into  which  a  finger  could  be  wedged.  The  edges  of 
the  steel  plate  had  been  turned  in,  were  fitted  so 
closely  within  the  outer  steel  frame  that  it  was  long 
before  we  learned  this  discouraging  fact.  We  at- 
tempted to  shake  it.  It  was  immovable.  The  crack 
between  the  plate  and  its  frame  was  so  narrow  that 
we  could  not  force  a  knife-blade  into  it. 

225 


The  Alster  Case 


"Too  bad,"  exclaimed  Longstreet,  and  I  hated 
him  for  his  sympathy.  I  rose  to  my  feet  with  an 
oath.  Trask  had  joined  us.  He  asked  no  questions 
and  gave  the  skylight  but  a  cursory  glance. 

"Come!  Now  we'll  make  a  sane  attempt  to  get 
into  the  house,"  he  announced.  He  led  the  way  to 
the  rear  of  the  roof,  got  down  on  it,  and  wormed 
his  head  and  shoulders  so  far  over  the  edge  that 
both  Longstreet  and  I  threw  ourselves  on  his  legs 
to  keep  him  from  falling  into  the  dark  abyss  be- 
yond. For  a  long  time  he  hung  there  reconnoitering 
and  then  called  softly  for  us  to  pull  him  back.  We 
did  so  with  relief  and  with  alacrity. 

"No  lights;  I  guess  we  can  make  a  try,"  he  an- 
nounced. He  unbuttoned  his  coat  and  began  to 
unwind  something  from  about  his  body.  It  proved 
to  be  a  rope,  small  but  strong.  He  tied  one  end 
around  the  base  of  the  nearest  chimney,  trailed  it 
along  to  the  rear  edge  of  the  roof  and  then  began 
to  tie  knots  tightly  at  regular  intervals  in  the  short 
length  that  remained. 

This  completed,  he  pulled  the  rope  taut,  lowered 
the  knotted  end  over  the  projecting  edge  of  the 
roof  so  that  it  hung  directly  before  one  of  the 
windows  on  the  top  floor,  and  with  a  "Now,  don't 

226 


The  Alster  Case 


cut  the  rope  on  me,"  disappeared  over  the  edge. 

We  bent  over  and  watched  his  descent  with  bated 
breath.  He  was  swinging  himself  in  and  out  over 
that  dark  empty  space  in  an  attempt  to  lodge  his 
feet  firmly  on  the  sill  of  the  window.  Once  or  twice 
his  feet  gained  the  sill,  but  his  body  swung  away, 
he  lost  his  foothold,  and  we  feared  to  see  him  fall 
the  forty  feet  to  the  brick-paved  yard  below.  It 
seemed  hours  before  he  succeeded  in  landing  upon 
that  sill. 

"Shall  we  come  too?"  I  called  after  him  softly, 
hoping  he  would  deny  us  the  chance  and  admit  us 
by  the  hatchway. 

He  did  not  answer.  We  saw  him  raise  the  win- 
dow and  vanish  inside  the  house  without  making  a 
sound. 

Longstreet  and  I  drew  in  and  looked  at  each 
other. 

"Well?"  he  asked. 

"You  can  do  what  you  please,  but  I'm  going,"  I 
responded  with  an  inflection  that  dared  him  follow. 

"We're  both  going.  I  took  that  for  granted.  I 
merely  wanted  to  learn  your  desire  as  to  which  one 
of  us  should  go  next,"  he  retorted  coldly. 

I  took  a  deathlike  grip  on  the  rope  and  scram- 
227 


The  Alster  Case 


bled  over  the  edge,  praying  mutely  that  nothing 
would  give  way,  lowering  myself  hand  by  hand  over 
the  dizzying  space  with  my  heart  in  my  mouth.  It 
was  a  matter  of  only  moments  before  my  feet 
touched  the  window  sill  and  Trask  held  them  there 
until  I  could  creep  safely  inside,  but  when  my  feet 
reached  the  floor  I  was  glad  to  lean  against  the  wall 
of  the  room.  I  found  I  had  been  holding  my 
breath ;  the  faint  feeling  did  not  leave  me  until  Long- 
street  crept  through  the  window  and  I  felt  his  eyes 
upon  me. 

We  drew  near  Trask  in  the  dark  room,  even  I 
by  now  quite  reconciled  to  have  him  take  charge 
of  the  undertaking.  Suddenly  we  caught  the  glint 
about  the  room  of  his  electric  flash  lamp.  It  flashed 
on  a  bed — unoccupied — on  a  bureau,  chairs,  and 
finally  sprayed  a  narrow  path  of  light  across  to  the 
door  to  show  us  the  way.  We  crossed  the  room, 
and  waited  for  Trask.  He  joined  us.  After  lis- 
tening at  the  keyhole  for  a  long  time  he  carefully 
turned  the  knob  and  opened  the  door  a  few  inches ; 
and  at  that  moment  a  series  of  sounds  came  to  us 
from  the  house  below  that  made  my  heart  stop 
beating  and  caused  a  cold  coating  of  perspiration  to 
break  out  all  over  my  body. 

228 


The  Alster  Case 


It  is  far  easier  to  describe  our  sensations  than  that 
terrifying  series  of  sounds.  They  were  like  nothing 
we  had  ever  heard  before ;  they  left  our  minds  whirl- 
ing in  vacancy;  they  sent  our  imaginations  groping 
for  dreadful,  unheard-of  things.  As  Trask  un- 
latched the  door  the  first  sounds  that  came  up  to  us 
through  the  dark  house  were  such  as  might  have 
been  made  in  a  struggle  between  human  beings; 
then  came  a  cry — in  a  woman's  voice — followed  by 
a  thud  as  of  a  falling  body;  then  in  quick  succes- 
sion, the  thunderous  clank  of  iron  drawn  over  iron, 
the  resounding  clang  of  steel  meeting  steel.  And 
then,  before  our  minds  could  ascribe  meanings  to 
these  sounds,  there  came  a  heavy  hiss,  a  slow  swish 
and  the  suction  below  of  the  air  in  the  house. 

We  all  shrank  back  and  away  from  the  door, 
and  felt  through  the  dark  for  each  other.  That 
awful  hiss,  that  terrifying  suction,  and  the  deadly 
silence  that  succeeded  them — what  could  they  mean? 
I  could  hear  the  others  breathing  deeply.  And  then 
Trask  broke  the  spell  by  throwing  open  the  door 
and  running  out  in  the  hall. 

We  followed  Trask  rather  than  to  be  left  alone. 
The  hall  was  unlighted  and  dark  as  a  cavern.  We 
came  upon  him  peering  through  the  projecting  lat- 

229 


The  Alster  Case 


tice-work  down  a  deep  shaft  to  the  bottom  of  the 
house.  Far  below  was  a  dim  light,  but  all  the  three 
floors  between  were  dark  as  night.  And  not  a  sound 
save  our  own  breathing! 

Trask  groped  around  a  while  in  the  dark  and 
listened,  before  he  dared  make  use  of  his  electric 
flash  lamp.  Then  he  discovered  a  stairway  that 
wound  down  around  the  enclosed  shaft.  Trask 
started  down  it,  whispering  for  us  to  follow.  Down 
one  flight,  two  flights,  through  the  dark  we  crept, 
making  as  little  noise  as  possible.  On  the  second 
floor  we  saw  that  a  dim  light  burned  in  the  hall 
below,  that  this  was  the  light  which  we  had  dis- 
cerned in  the  enclosed  shaft,  also  we  perceived  that 
this  shaft,  which  we  had  been  unable  to  explain  in 
a  residence  of  this  sort,  was  nothing  more  or  less 
than  an  elevator  well. 

The  elevator  had  stopped  at  the  second  floor  and 
was  unoccupied.  Following  Trask's  lead  we  de- 
scended to  the  first  floor.  Trask  pointed  silently 
but  significantly  to  the  inner  front  doors.  They 
were  of  heavy  iron,  hung  on  hinges  embedded  in 
concrete,  and  with  three  large  bolts  to  make  them 
impregnable.  The  three  bolts  were  drawn ;  through 
the  slightly  unlatched  iron  doors  we  could  see  the 

230 


The  Alster  Case 


ordinary  dark  wooden  door  that  masked  this  ex- 
traordinary defense. 

"Have  they  got  away?"  I  whispered,  pointing 
to  the  unlatched  iron  doors. 

Trask  shook  his  head  as  if  he  would  not  say. 
With  a  sign  warning  us  to  be  silent,  he  entered 
the  large  front  room  on  that  floor.  We  found  no 
one  there;  we  found  no  one  in  the  large  room  open- 
ing out  of  it  to  the  rear;  and  we  regathered  in 
the  hall  to  descend  to  the  basement. 

Again  Trask  cautioned  us  to  be  silent,  and  he 
evidently  looked  for  trouble  below,  for  I  noticed 
that  he  shifted  his  flash  lamp  to  his  left  hand  and 
now  carried  an  automatic  pistol  in  his  right.  Long- 
street,  following,  also  carried  an  automatic.  I 
wondered  if  Trask  had  given  it  to  him. 

We  crept  down  the  stairs  to  that  basement  with 
a  feeling  that  the  least  noise  might  result  in  our 
being  shot.  The  door  of  the  nearest  room  was 
open.  Trask  whisked  through  the  lighted  hall  into 
it  and  was  lost  in  the  dark.  In  a  moment  he  came 
out  shaking  his  head.  It  was  the  same  with  each 
room  on  that  floor.  Not  a  person  was  to  be  found 
in  any  of  them. 

Trask  came  out  of  the  last  of  them  with  a  puzzled 
231 


The  Alster  Case 


look  on  his  face  and  no  longer  walking  on  tiptoe. 
I  guessed  his  thoughts.  "We're  too  late,  they've 
got  away?"  I  prophesied. 

"Perhaps,  but  nearly  all  the  food  has  been  eaten, 
showing  that  several  people  must  have  been  here 
earlier."  He  shook  his  head  and  led  the  way  back 
upstairs.  We  returned  to  the  front  room  on  the 
first  floor,  and  Trask  astonished  me  by  switching 
on  the  electric  lights. 

"Won't  they  see  these  lights  and  keep  away,  in- 
stead of  coming  back?"  I  remonstrated. 

"What,  see  lights  from  the  street  in  a  gambling 
house?  Suppose  you  take  a  look  at  those  windows," 
responded  Trask  with  a  chuckle. 

I  went  to  them.  This  side  of  the  heavy  lace 
curtains  to  be  seen  from  the  street  were  heavy, 
bolted  steel  shutters  fitting  into  the  window  frames 
so  tightly  that  not  a  crack  was  left  for  the  egress 
of  light;  and  yet  inside  these  were  first  a  black  and 
then  a  white  shade,  and  then  again  expensive  lace 
hangings.  No  light  could  possibly  pierce  these. 
And  forcing  an  entrance  through  one  of  those  front 
windows  would  require  much  time  and  the  right 
tools. 

I  turned  and  examined  the  room;  it  was  furnished 
232 


The  Alster  Case 


lavishly  yet  with  taste;  one  would  never  have  sus- 
pected that  this  was  the  reception  room  in  a  gam- 
bling house.  But  not  so  the  large  rear  room  on  that 
floor  and  the  two  large  rooms  on  the  floor  above 
to  which  we  proceeded.  On  the  walls  of  these  were 
expensive  nudes  in  oils  and  water  colors,  indicating 
that  it  was  a  resort  solely  for  men.  Among  these 
pictures  I  noticed  a  beautiful  Henner,  nude  yet 
unerringly  chaste,  and  out  of  keeping  with  the  other 
paintings.  Thick,  velvety  carpets  covered  the  floors; 
there  were  glittering,  ostentatious  chandeliers  and 
beautiful  rich  hangings  at  the  windows,  but  for 
furniture  nothing  except  little  clusters  of  cane-seated 
chairs  in  corners,  which  contrasted  strangely  with 
the  costly  carpets  and  hangings  and  chandeliers. 

"They're  ready  to  open  up  again  just  as  soon 
as  this  reform  wave  is  over  and  they  believe  it  is 
safe,"  proffered  Trask. 

We  searched  all  the  rooms,  halls,  closets  on  the 
lower  three  floors;  we  searched  the  top  floor,  with- 
out finding  human  beings  or  traces  of  human  beings. 
I  was  relieved;  but  Trask  seemed  to  take  his  dis- 
appointment deeply  to  heart.  He  moved  away 
from  us  toward  the  door  of  the  room  by  which 
we  had  gained  entrance. 

233 


The  Alster  Case 


"At  least  this  saves  us  the  danger  of  climbing 
out  by  the  way  we  got  in,"  I  commented,  shiver- 
ing at  the  thought  of  making  our  way  up  that  knotted 
rope  over  the  projecting  edge  of  the  roof.  "If 
there  is  no  one  here,  we  can  leave  like  gentlemen 
by  the  front  door." 

Trask  dropped  the  handle  of  the  door  and  turned 
toward  us. 

"Not  without  a  scuffle,"  he  announced. 

"Scuffle?"  I  demanded,  alarmed  by  the  brisk 
change  in  his  tone. 

"Yes."  He  smiled  grimly.  "Since  we  left  it, 
this  door  has  been  locked." 

I  stopped  him  as  he  was  passing  by  me  in  the 
hall. 

"Why,  that  means "  I  blurted  and  stopped, 

staggered  by  the  possibilities. 

"That  means,"  announced  Trask,  "that  someone 
is  in  this  house,  that  someone  has  come  up  here 
while  we  were  downstairs  and  locked  this  door, 
blocking  our  avenue  of  escape.  And  in  all  likeli- 
hood," he  went  on  calmly,  "he  or  they  are  now 
hiding  somewhere  downstairs;  and  we  shall  have  to 
fight  our  way  out  by  the  front  door."  He  turned 
out  the  hall  light. 

234 


The  Alster  Case 


Prepared  to  give  battle,  Trask  and  Longstreet 
leading  the  way  with  their  automatics,  we  retreated 
downstairs,  Longstreet  and  I  remaining  in  the  halls 
to  make  sure  that  no  one  stole  by  us  upstairs  while 
Trask  once  again  searched  the  rooms.  But  room 
by  room  and  floor  by  floor,  we  went  through  that 
entire  house  again  from  top  floor  to  basement  with- 
out discovering  a  living  person. 

"Well,  whoever  locked  that  door  must  have 
slipped  out  while  we  were  wasting  time  in  some  of 
the  empty  rooms,"  I  ventured,  as  we  started  back 
up  the  basement  stairs. 

"Ssssh!"  Trask,  who  was  leading,  stopped  mid- 
way on  the  basement  stairs  and  signed  for  silence. 
We  listened.  The  faint  muffled  sound  of  an  elec- 
tric buzzer  came  to  us  from  somewhere  on  the 
floor  above.  Trask  listened  until  it  stopped,  then 
with  a  whispered  adjuration  to  follow  and  to  make 
no  noise  tiptoed  up  the  rest  of  the  stairs.  At  their 
top  we  stopped  and  listened  for  the  sound  to  be 
renewed.  Instead  we  heard  the  click  of  a  key  in 
the  lock  of  the  front  door.  We  drew  back  into 
the  shadows  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  and  waited. 
In  a  moment  two  people  entered.  By  the  dim  light 
we  could  see  that  one  was  a  woman.  She  wore  a 

235 


The  Alster  Case 


heavy  chiffon  veil  about  her  hat  and  head.  She 
stood  shrinking  against  the  inner  door,  her  hand 
to  her  mouth,  as  if  desiring  yet  fearing  to  make  an 
outcry,  the  while  the  man  with  her  turned  to  close 
the  door. 

We  heard  the  outer  door  close.  Trask  and 
Longstreet,  as  if  by  a  prearranged  signal,  sprang 
toward  her.  But  before  they  had  gone  a  yard  along 
that  front  hall,  the  door  of  the  hall  closet  midway 
in  their  course  swung  open,  two  men  sprang  out 
and  closed  with  them. 

For  a  moment  I  stood  staring  at  the  four  men 
struggling  wildly  in  the  middle  of  the  hall.  When 
I  looked  past  I  noticed  that  the  other  man  had 
reopened  the  front  door  and  flown.  The  girl  still 
stood  staring  with  manifest  astonishment  and  alarm 
at  the  struggle  going  on  in  the  hall  between  us. 
Suddenly  she,  too,  turned  and  fled. 

I  ran  through  the  two  rooms  to  the  hall  beyond. 
One  glance  showed  me  that  Trask  had  straightened 
out  his  man  on  the  floor  and  was  now  going  to  the 
aid  of  Longstreet.  I  turned  and  followed  the  girl. 

As  I  reached  the  sidewalk,  I  looked  up  and  down 
the  street.  A  woman  disappearing  into  a  taxi  near 
the  McAlpin  was  my  only  clew.  I  ran  after  her. 

236 


The  Alster  Case 


The  chauffeur  of  the  nearest  taxi  seemed  strangely 
slow  at  getting  my  orders  to  follow  her  taxi  which 
was  already  turning  the  corner,  but  at  last  I  made 
him  understand.  I  jumped  inside  without  paying 
attention  to  the  patter  of  feet  behind  me.  It  wasn't 
necessary.  Before  I  could  close  the  door,  it  was 
jerked  from  my  hand  and  first  Trask  and  then 
Longstreet  scrambled  into  the  vehicle  with  me. 

"You — you  did  just  right,  Swan,"  panted  Trask. 

"Thank  you,"  I  said  caustically. 

Our  taxi  swung  out  of  Thirty-third  Street  into 
Broadway.  At  the  next  cross  street  our  driver  ad- 
vanced nearly  to  the  car  track,  stopped,  peered 
ahead  and  to  the  right  before  finally  turning  east 
on  Thirty-fourth  Street. 

"Has — has  he  lost  them?"  panted  Longstreet. 

"No.  No.  Wait  a  minute,"  exclaimed  Trask, 
his  eyes  glued  on  our  chauffeur. 

We  flew  along  Thirty-fourth  Street.  At  Fifth 
Avenue  again  our  chauffeur  slowed  up,  looked 
about  and  then  swerved  north  on  the  Avenue.  He 
swept  up  the  deserted  Avenue  at  a  speed  showing 
his  intention  of  overhauling  two  automobiles  far 
ahead.  Beyond  Forty-second  Street  he  quietly 
turned  and  nodded  his  head  to  Trask. 

237 


The  Alster  Case 


"It's  all  right.  Have  you  shown  him  anything?" 
demanded  Trask. 

"Shown  him  anything?"  I  exclaimed,  not  under- 
standing what  he  meant. 

For  answer  Trask  drew  a  ten-dollar  bill  from  his 
pocketbook,  spread  it  out  against  the  front  win- 
dow-of  the  taxi  and  then  knocked. 

The  chauffeur  turned,  grinned,  and  then  nodded 
his  head.  Soon  he  slowed  up  a  trifle  and  appeared 
to  allow  a  slightly  longer  distance  between  our  taxi 
and  the  one  ahead. 

"Now,  he's  all  right,"  exclaimed  Trask  paying 
no  more  attention  to  him.  Longstreet  and  I  were 
too  engrossed  in  keeping  our  eyes  on  the  taxi  ahead 
to  find  anything  to  talk  about.  In  silence  we  sped 
on  for  block  after  block  along  the  smooth  asphalt. 

"Hullo!"  exclaimed  Trask  finally  as  our  taxi  fol- 
lowed the  other  one  into  Seventy-eighth  Street,  "it 
begins  to  look  to  me  as  if  Mr.  Keith  had  given 
up  the  fight  arid  was  taking  Miss  Linda  home.  But 
nevertheless,  I  want  to  have  a  few  words  with  that 
young  man  before  he  leaves." 

The  taxi  ahead  of  us  drew  up  before  Miss  Alster's 
house.  Our  own  stopped  a  short  distance  away. 
We  jumped  out;  Trask  thrust  the  banknote  into 

238 


The  Alster  Case 


our  chauffeur's  hand,  then  we  hurried  along  the 
sidewalk.  As  we  drew  near,  we  saw  the  woman 
disappear  into  the  Alster  house.  We  ran  to  the 
taxi  for  Keith.  It  was  empty. 

Dismayed,  we  ran  up  the  steps  and  I  opened  the 
front  door  with  my  latchkey.  In  the  front  hall 
stood  the  woman  we  had  followed,  the  heavy  chiffon 
veil  just  unwound  from  her  head.  At  our  entrance 
she  turned  and  looked  at  us.  It  was  not  Linda ;  it 
was  Beatrice. 


XV 

WHAT!" 
"In  the  name  of  Heaven!" 
Trask  was  the  only  one  of  us  not  to 
confess  his  surprise;  the  only  one,  that  is,  save  Bea- 
trice, who  stood  regarding  us  quietly  as  if  surprised 
by  nothing  except  our  surprise. 

"But  where's  Keith?" 

"Yes,  what  became  of  Keith?"  I  cried,  not  feel- 
ing satisfied  to  see  Longstreet  usurp  the  whole  center 
of  the  stage. 

"Why,   he "    Beatrice   stopped   and  bit  her 

lip.      "What   makes   you   ask  me    that?"    she   de- 
manded suddenly. 

"Why,  he  took  you  to  see  Linda,  didn't  he?" 
asked  Trask,  speaking  for  the  first  time  and  with 
a  carelessness  that  disarmed  her  suspicions. 

"Yes — yes,  but  I  was  asked  not  to  tell  anyone 
that,"  protested  Beatrice,  and  then,  perceiving  that 
she  had  unintentionally  admitted  it,  she  inquired, 
"but — but  how  did  you  know  it?" 

In  the  sudden  melee,   and  in  the  dim  light  of 
240 


The  Alster  Case 


the  back  hall  at  the  Iron  Door,  she  had  evidently 
failed  to  recognize  a  single  one  of  us.  Longstreet 
and  I  both  were  about  to  break  out  into  explana- 
tions and  further  questions,  when  Trask  silenced  us 
with  a  gesture. 

"Never  mind  about  how  we  know,"  he  replied 
smilingly,  "we  won't  waste  time  going  into  that 
now.  The  important  thing  is  that  we're  all  trying 
to  find  Miss  Linda,  and  you're  going  to  help  us  in 
every  way  that  you  can,  aren't  you?" 

"I — I  don't  know."  She  seemed  much  more  con- 
fused by  Trask's  friendly  tone  than  by  our  ques- 
tions. 

"You  don't  know  what?" 

"I  don't  know  that  Linda  wants  to  be  found 
now." 

"Oh!"  Trask  paused.  "Well,  of  course,  that 
puts  a  decidedly  different  light  on  it.  But  perhaps 
you'll  explain  so  that  we  won't  waste  any  more  time 
trying  to  find  her." 

"I  don't  think  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  look 
for  her  any  longer."  Beatrice  smiled. 

"You  mean  that  you  prefer  that  we  should  not?" 

"Yes." 

"Very  well,  but  aren't  you  going  to  tell  us  what 
241 


The  Alster  Case 


you  have  seen  or  heard  or  learned  that  has  made 
you  change  your  mind?" 

Her  dark  young  face  clouded  and  she  looked 
at  him  in  silence  as  if  earnestly  considering  whether 
she  might  not  do  this.  And  Trask,  seeing  that  she 
was  wavering,  went  on: 

"It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  the  least  you  can  do 
for  us  in  the  circumstances.  Remember,  it  is  en- 
tirely due  to  you  that  we  dropped  everything  else 
and  started  out  to  find  her.  We  had  no  especial 
curiosity  as  to  where  she  was  nor  had  we  any  par- 
ticular fear  for  her  safety  until  you  yourself  aroused 
it  in  us.  But  now  that  you  have  aroused  this  fear, 
we  have  a  right,  haven't  we,  to  learn  what  has  re- 
moved all  your  fear?" 

"I — I "  she  stopped,  but  the  startled  look 

on  her  face  showed  that  her  fear  was  not  wholly 
a  matter  of  the  past. 

"Tell  us,  tell  us,"  pleaded  Trask,  "we  may  be 
able  to  help  you  a  great  deal  and " 

"I  wonder?"  she  was  weakening. 

"And — "  Trask's  tone  was  astonishingly  sym- 
pathetic— "and,  if  you  wish  us  to  regard  whatever 
you  say  as  confidential,  you  can  rely  on  us  to  do 
that,  can't  you?  Don't  you  think  we  can  help  you? 

242 


The  Alster  Case 


Don't  you  think  you  had  better  tell  us  at  least 
this?" 

"I  will,"  she  cried  impulsively  and  then  as  sud- 
denly, "No,  wait." 

It  was  the  rattle  of  the  taxi  drawing  up  before 
the  door  outside  that  had  so  suddenly  changed  her 
purpose.  We  looked  at  her  a  moment,  then  Trask 
went  to  the  door  and  opened  it  just  as  the  bell 
sounded. 

We  were  all  looking  at  that  door  as  if  its  open- 
ing would  solve  the  mystery  of  her  attitude.  I 
don't  know  whom  the  others  expected  to  see  stand- 
ing outside,  but  I  looked  for  Keith  or,  failing  him, 
at  least  Linda.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  only 
a  mite  of  a  messenger  boy,  chewing  gum,  and  bear- 
ing in  his  hand  a  letter. 

"Alster?"  The  mite  of  a  boy  had  a  skyscraper 
of  a  voice. 

But  Beatrice  had  hurried  to  the  door,  too.  She 
took  the  letter  from  Trask  almost  as  soon  as  it 
touched  his  hand.  And  she  opened  it  nervously  by 
the  stairs,  away  from  us  all,  as  if  she  feared  over- 
sight. 

"Any  answer?"  yelled  the  messenger  boy. 

"Better  come  in,  sonny,  before  the  society  with 

243 


The  Alster  Case 


the  long  name  notices  you  are  out  so  late,"  advised 
Trask. 

"Huh!"  The  boy's  scorn  was  scathing  and,  not 
neglecting  his  gum,  he  looked  us  all  over  clustered 
there  in  the  hall,  with  suspicious,  grinning  glances, 
until  Beatrice  finished  and  stated  that  there  would 
be  no  reply. 

Trask  let  the  messenger  boy  out  and  turned  to 
find  Beatrice  slowly  starting  up  the  stairs  with  the 
note  held  tightly  in  her  hand. 

"But — but  Miss  Alster!"  he  called,  and  then,  as 
she  turned,  "you  were  about  to  tell  us  something, 
weren't  you?" 

"I'm  very  sorry,"  she  paused,  but  there  was  no 
longer  any  wavering  in  her  manner,  "but  I  have 
thought  better  of  it." 

Trask  went  directly  to  her,  stood  at  the  bottom 
of  the  staircase  looking  up  at  her,  his  voice  grown 
hard.  "You  mean  you  no  longer  intend  to  tell  us 
why  you  want  us  to  stop  looking  for  Miss  Linda?" 

"No."  Her  voice,  if  not  so  cold,  was  quite  as 
determined  as  his. 

"Ah,  that  note  has  changed  your  intention?" 

"I  haven't  said  that." 

"No,  but  your  actions  have."  I  had  never  seen 
244 


The  Alster  Case 


Trask  treat  her  so  sternly.  "Miss  Alster,  the  time 
has  passed  for  any  more  cross  purposes  of  this 
sort.  I  believe  that  the  notes  you  have  received 
from  Miss  Linda  are  either  forged  or " 

"No.    They  can't  be." 

"Or  else  she  has  been  forced  to  write  them. 
Have  you  thought  of  that?" 

"Yes." 

"But  you  don't  believe  it?" 

"No." 

"Then  why  all  this  secrecy?  Why  is  it  neces- 
sary for  her  to  hide  herself  away  from  us?" 

"I  can't  tell  you." 

"She  is  in  the  gravest  danger  and  you " 

"She  is  in  no  danger  at  all  if  we  only  let  her 
alone,  and  do  as  she  asks." 

"Tell  us.  Convince  us.  That  is  all  that  is  nec- 
essary." 

"I  can't." 

"Why  not?" 

"I  haven't  the  right." 

Trask  went  up  a  step  toward  her.  "You  have 
the  right.  You  have  the  right  to  break  any  promise 
that  keeps  her  in  jeopardy.  I  know  more  about  this 
situation  than  you  do.  I  have  to.  And  I  know 

245 


The  Alster  Case 


that  at  this  very  minute  she  is  running  a  great  risk, 
and  for  some  probably  utterly  silly  reason  is  put- 
ting her  very  life  in  danger  and " 

"No.    She  is  safe.    I  know  it.    Her  brother " 

Linda's  brother!  And  who  was  Linda's  brother? 
Beatrice  must  have  seen  the  astonishment  this  news 
created  in  us.  She  must  also  have  realized  how 
impossible  it  would  be  for  her  now  to  retrieve  her 
slip  of  tongue.  She  stopped,  her  face  flushed,  and 
she  sighed  deeply.  For  a  moment  she  lingered  there 
on  the  stairs  studying  us  hopelessly.  But  at  Trask's 
first  question  she  turned  and  fled. 

"No,  no,  I  can't  answer  another  single  question," 
she  cried  with  determination. 

We  heard  her  run  up  the  other  flight  of  stairs, 
enter  her  room  and  close  and  lock  the  door. 

"But  who — whom  did  she  mean  by  Linda's 
brother?"  I  burst  out. 

"Whom  could  she  mean  but  Keith?"  responded 
Trask.  He  still  stood  motionless  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs  as  if  the  news  forced  him  to  take  apart 
and  reassemble  his  secret  conclusions.  But,  when 
at  last  he  turned  toward  us,  his  manner  showed 
that  he  had  arrived  at  a  decision. 

"The  fact  that  Keith  claims  to  be  Linda's  brother 
246 


The  Alster  Case 


explains  a  lot  without  explaining  enough,"  he  an- 
nounced. "But,  if  she  relies  on  that  fact  to  insure 
Linda's  safety,  she  is  mad,  stark,  staring  mad,  and 
we  must  act  at  once  to  save  her." 

"But  if  Keith  is  Linda's  brother  he  certainly 
won't  permit  anyone  to  harm  her?  What  motive 
would  he  have  to  allow  that?"  I  protested. 

Trask  looked  at  me.  "Do  you  remember  that  I 
marveled  at  the  wih'ness  and  boldness  of  this  whole 
game?  Do  you  remember  that  it  seemed  to  me  to 
be  vastly  beyond  the  depth  and  courage  of  Keith? 
Keith  is  only  a  weak,  shallow  criminal.  Keith 
never  would  have  dared  to  kidnap  Linda.  Keith 
never  would  have  had  the  brains  or  training  to 
think  out  a  scheme  like  this.  Well,  when  those  two 
gunmen  popped  out  of  the  closet  on  us,  I  under- 
stood." 

"Gunmen!"  I  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  two  of  the  worst  in  the  business,"  re- 
sponded Trask.  "Ike  the  Nailer  has  shot  more 
men  and  got  away  with  it  than  any  other  gunman 
in  New  York,  and  I  didn't  need  to  look  at  the 
other  man  to  guess  who  he  was.  Lew  the  Blood 
and  he  always  work  together.  Lew  does  the  head- 
work  and  Ike  the  gunplay;  and  they're  a  cruel  pair 

247 


The  Alster  Case 


to  get  any  heedless  young  girl  like  Linda  in  their 
power.  I  was  weak.  I  was  an  imbecile  not  to 
have  the  common  sense  to  wait  until  I  was  sure 
Linda  was  in  that  house  before  we  went  into  it. 
Then  we  wouldn't  all  have  run  away  after  another 
girl  thinking  she  was  Linda."  Trask  sighed. 

I  felt  Trask's  implied  criticism  of  an  action  which 
I  had  forced  upon  him.  "Then  you  still  think  that 
Linda  is  there?" 

"Where  else  can  she  be?" 

"We  searched  the  house  from  cellar  to  garret 
without  finding  any  trace  of  her." 

"Yes,  and  we  did  that  without  discovering  the 
gunmen  until  they  became  good  and  ready  to  show 
themselves.  No,  we  gained  absolutely  nothing  by 
stealing  in.  We  broke  in  before  we  knew  what  we 
were  doing;  we  accomplished  nothing  except  to 
warn  them;  and  now  the  girl  we  wanted  to  help  is 
more  utterly  in  the  power  of  a  pair  of  unscrupu- 
lous criminals  than  before.  We  don't  know  what 
they  may  do  with  her.  We  must  get  back  there 
before  they  have  time  to  move  her  somewhere 
else." 

"But  surely  her  brother  can  be  trusted  to  pro- 
tect her." 

248 


The  Alster  Case 


"Protect  her!"  Trask's  voice  was  scornful. 
"That's  precisely  what  Miss  Beatrice  thinks  and 
she's  wrong,  and  you're  wrong.  What  chance  has 
a  weak  criminal  like  Keith  with  a  couple  of  gun- 
men like  them?  He  probably  thinks  that  he's  the 
leader  and  that  they're  working  under  him,  but 
the  chances  are  a  thousand  to  one  that  they're  merely 
hoodwinking  him.  Ike  the  Nailer  and  Lew  the 
Blood!  Whoever  heard  of  two  seasoned  gunmen 
like  them  working  under  an  undeveloped  crook  like 
Keith,  unless  for  their  own  secret  ends  and  all  the 
stakes  and  everything  else  in  sight?  No,  so  long 
as  he  does  precisely  what  they  say,  well  and  good. 
But  the  moment  he  attempts  to  stand  between  them 
and  Linda,  or  between  them  and  a  single  purpose 
of  theirs,  his  life  isn't  worth  a  shoebutton.  They'd 
take  his  life  before  he  could  muster  up  a  whimper. 
They'd  spill  his  blood  just  to  maintain  what  they 
consider  their  own  dignity.  No,  it's  the  irony  of 
circumstance  that  it's  become  our  duty  now  not  only 
to  save  Linda  from  them,  but  Keith  as  well,  if  we 
want  to  solve  the  mystery  of  this  murder.  That's 
what  happens  when  the  weak  ones  in  the  under- 
world take  in  big  criminals  as  partners." 

I  still  smarted  under  his  earlier  criticism  of  me. 
249 


The  Alster  Case 


"If  they're  in  such  danger  as  that,  then  why  stay 
here  talking?" 

"Are  you  game  enough  to  join  me  against  this 
pair  of  gunmen?"  Trask  turned  sharply  on  Long- 
street. 

"Yes." 

"And  you?"     He  turned  toward  me. 

"I  am." 

"Well,  you'll  only  take  part  by  giving  me  your 
word  to  obey  my  orders  implicitly."  Trask  turned 
away  from  me  brusquely.  He  was  a  different 
man. 

"All  right."     I  winced.     "Don't  rub  it  in." 

"Then  it's  only  a  question  of  arming  ourselves 
and  going  back  into  that  house.  And  the  sooner, 
the  better." 

"How  are  we  to  get  in,  over  the  rope  again?" 
I  pretended  to  be  jocular. 

"No.  I'll  arrange  about  our  getting  in  when 
the  time  comes.  That  isn't  what  is  worrying  me. 
But,  Lord,  I  wish  I  knew  what  was  in  that  note 
to  Miss  Beatrice !  It  might  make  all  the  difference 
in  the  world  to  our  plans."  Trask  stood  restively 
looking  upstairs.  "I  don't  like  to  leave  before  I 
learn." 

250 


The  Alster  Case 


Longstreet  went  over  and  took  him  by  the  arm. 
"Let  me  go  up  and  ask  her.  Perhaps  I  can  learn," 
he  whispered  with  an  assurance  that  made  me 
fidget. 

Trask  looked  at  him  a  moment  and  then  nodded. 
Longstreet  hurried  up  the  stairs.  I  heard  him 
knock  on  the  door  of  Beatrice's  room  and  give  his 
name.  A  moment  later  I  heard  the  door  being 
unlocked. 

I  wished  fervently  that  he  might  fail  in  his  enter- 
prise. My  feelings  were  so  strong  that  I  feared 
that  Trask  might  guess  them  from  my  very  silence. 
I  left  him  in  the  hall,  entered  the  reception  room, 
and  threw  myself  into  a  chair.  But  I  was  looking 
through  the  door  of  the  unlighted  room  the  mo- 
ment Longstreet's  feet  sounded  on  the  stairs  and 
I  saw  the  heavy,  disappointed  look  on  his  face  and 
rejoiced.  He  came  slowly  down  the  stairs,  and  in- 
stead of  stopping  by  Trask  at  their  foot  seemed  to 
intend  to  steal  by  without  saying  a  word.  But 
Trask  stopped  him. 

"It's  no  use.  The  letter  has  been  burned,"  Long- 
street  announced  sourly. 

"And  she  wouldn't  tell  you  anything  about  its 
contents?"  Trask  asked. 

251 


The  Alster  Case 


"Don't  ask  me.  I  prefer  to  say  nothing  more 
about  it,"  snapped  Longstreet. 

It  was  evident  from  his  anger  that  he  and  Bea- 
trice had  quarreled.  I  could  have  hugged  myself. 

"Too  bad!     Too  bad!"  muttered  Trask. 

"Well,  shall  we  start?"  demanded  Longstreet,  as 
if  he  wanted  no  one's  sympathy. 

"Y-es,"  agreed  Trask  reluctantly. 

They  moved  along  slowly  toward  the  door  and 
I  kept  quiet,  filling  with  offense  at  their  oversight 
of  me,  and  wondering  if  they  would  leave  without 
me.  Longstreet's  hand  must  have  been  already  on 
the  door,  when  I  heard  him  cry  suddenly: 

"But  where's  Swan?" 

"Oh,  he'll  be  right  along,"  responded  Trask. 

"But  I  almost  forgot  it,  Miss  Alster  wishes  to 
speak  to  him." 

"Oh!"  Trask  seemed  more  hopeful.  Trask 
called  me. 

They  agreed  to  wait  while  I  went  upstairs  to 
learn  what  Beatrice  wanted.  I  was  back  within 
three  minutes. 

"Well?"  demanded  Trask. 

"Miss  Alster  wants  another  thousand  dollars  just 
as  soon  as  I  can  get  it,"  I  answered. 

252 


The  Alster  Case 


"Another  thousand!  Well,  they  must  have  had 
Miss  Linda  right  at  hand  to  write  that  note  for  it." 
Trask's  eyes  gleamed  and  he  jumped  toward  the 
door.  "Come  on,  before  they  have  time  to  move 
her,"  he  cried. 


XVI 

IT  was  almost  midnight  when  we  got  back  to 
the  Iron  Door,  and  Trask  compelled  us  to 
separate  and  patrol  the  further  sidewalk  a 
long  time  before  agreeing  to  make  any  direct  move 
on  the  house.  But  now  at  last  we  were  at  the 
bottom  of  the  steps  leading  up  to  the  front  door — 
the  three  of  us — and  I  realized  with  amazement 
that  he  planned  an  attack  on  the  front.  After  the 
desperate  character  he  had  given  the  two  gunmen 
this  seemed  a  foolhardy  proceeding.  From  the 
rooms,  stair  or  hall  they  could  pepper  away  at  us 
at  will;  and,  though  armed,  we  would  have  small 
chance  to  defend  ourselves  against  the  hidden  gun- 
men, and  but  second  chance  for  a  shot  at  either  of 
them.  I  shuddered.  I  saw  all  three  of  us  dropped 
in  a  bloody  huddle  in  the  front  hall  the  moment  we 
closed  that  front  door  behind  us.  It  seemed  so 
rash  a  method  of  coming  upon  them  that  I  had  to 
take  a  hitch  in  my  courage  to  follow  up  those  stony 
front  steps  to  the  grim  iron  doors. 

Trask  may  have  sensed  my  feelings,  though  with 
254 


The  Alster  Case 


Longstreet  present  I  cared  not  to  mention  them,  for 
he  turned  with  his  foot  on  one  of  the  steps  to 
whisper: 

"If  they're  looking  for  us,  they'll  hardly  expect 
a  bold  attack  like  this  from  the  front  after  our 
previous  one  from  the  rear.  At  any  rate,  it's  our 
likeliest  chance  to  get  in  unhurt.  If  the  iron  doors 
aren't  bolted,  and  if  we  can  only  get  up  these  steps 
without  sounding  that  buzzer  somewhere  on  them! 
Come  on !  Keep  way  over  on  the  side  of  the  steps 
as  I  do,  and  step  in  diagonally  clear  across  the  door- 
sill  as  soon  as  I  manage  to  get  this  door  open." 

We  followed  cautiously  up  the  side  of  the  steps. 
For  hours,  with  my  heart  beating  like  a  tripham- 
mer, I  waited  while  he  noiselessly  negotiated  the  lock 
with  his  master  key;  then  there  was  the  agony  of 
a  still  greater  suspense  while,  slowly,  without  mak- 
ing a  warning  sound,  he  pushed  open  the  outer 
door.  He  took  a  long  step  over  the  threshold  and 
disappeared.  Longstreet  followed.  Suddenly  a 
fresh  fear  seized  me  and  held  me  motionless  out- 
side. What  if  the  gunmen  had  Maxim  silencers 
on  their  weapons?  In  the  noise  made  by  that  pass- 
ing taxi  they  might  have  dropped  both  of  my  com- 
panions, and  I  myself  might  step  in  to  afford  but 

255 


The  Alster  Case 


a  third  target  for  their  silent  shots.  This  idea  on 
me,  I  stood  on  that  top  step  petrified,  unable  to 
bring  myself  to  follow  them.  Not  until  I  saw 
Longstreet's  white  face  peering  back  questioningly 
at  me  through  the  door  did  I  take  the  step. 

There  was  still  that  dim  light  burning  in  the 
middle  of  the  front  hall.  Trask  noiselessly  closed 
the  door  behind  us  and  we  stood,  automatics  in  hand, 
huddled  against  it,  waiting.  It  seemed  ages  that 
Trask  held  us  here  listening — waiting.  I  could  feel 
the  perspiration  running  coldly  from  my  hand  over 
my  pistol.  Then  he  silently  led  the  way  into  the 
dark  front  room.  I  can't  tell  you  with  what  relief 
I  slipped  from  the  lighted  hall  into  the  safety  of  that 
dark  room,  with  what  relief,  that  is,  until  I  began 
to  wonder  if  the  gunmen  might  not  be  hiding  in  this 
very  darkness. 

After  more  listening  and  waiting,  Trask  drew 
our  heads  together  and  whispered  his  directions. 
"It  will  be  too  risky  roaming  over  this  house  with- 
out knowing  when  we  may  come  upon  them,"  he 
stated  in  a  tone  that  barely  reached  our  ears.  "We've 
got  to  draw  their  fire  or  make  them  appear.  One 
of  us  must  go  back  outside,  sound  the  buzzer  and 
then  ring  the  bell  to  bring  them  from  cover.  They 

256 


The  Alster  Case 


came  from  that  closet  under  the  stairs  before.  Two 
of  us  can  cover  that  and  the  stairway  through  this 
door,  but  shall  I  or  one  of  you  go  out  to  ring  the 
bell?" 

"No,  we  need  you  in  here  more,"  I  heard  Long- 
street  whisper  through  the  dark.  "Wait!  I'll  slip 
out  to  ring  the  bell." 

I  did  not  envy  him  his  journey  across  that  front 
hall,  nor  the  necessity  of  opening  that  front  door 
with  his  back  to  the  gunmen.  I  made  no  objec- 
tion to  his  undertaking  this  risk,  nor  did  Trask. 
Trask  first  placed  me  where,  with  my  automatic,  I 
could  cover  the  stairway  through  the  door  of  the 
room,  stationed  himself  where  he  could  cover  the 
hall  and  the  closet  under  the  stairs,  and  then  whis- 
pered for  Longstreet  to  go. 

I  tried  to  hear  his  footsteps  across  the  hall  and, 
failing,  imagined  them.  I  took  him  across  that  hall 
altogether  too  fast,  for  it  was  long  afterward  that 
a  slight  inrush  of  air  told  me  that  he  had  actually 
opened  the  front  door.  Then  we  waited- — waited — 
waited. 

I  started  so  sharply  that  I  felt  Trask  must  have 
noticed  it  when  at  last  that  buzzer  began  to  sound. 
It  stopped  and  I  held  my  breath.  Soon  another 

257 


The  Alster  Case 


buzzer  sounded  in  the  hall  which  we  covered,  and 
simultaneously  a  third  one  in  the  kitchen  downstairs, 
and  I  knew  that  Longstreet  had  touched  the  front 
door  bell. 

We  waited  and  no  alien  sound  came  to  us  through 
the  still  house  either  from  below  or  above.  Long- 
street  sounded  the  bell  again.  Again.  So  concen- 
trated was  my  attention  on  the  hall  outside  that  I 
started  with  horror  at  the  unexpected  intrusion  be- 
tween me  and  the  lighted  doorway  of  Trask.  He 
stood  just  inside,  his  best  ear  cocked  for  a  mo- 
ment against  the  investing  hush;  then  he  stepped 
boldly  out  into  the  hall  and  signed  for  me  to 
follow. 

"Let  him  in,"  he  whispered,  himself  assuming 
guard  over  the  hall  and  stairway. 

I  admitted  Longstreet  and  we  gathered  behind 
the  shelter  of  Trask. 

"How  long  do  you  think  you  were  outside?" 
Trask  demanded. 

"Five  or  ten  minutes  at  least." 

"Then  they've  either  flown  or  have  no  yearning 
to  tackle  us,"  Trask  sighed.  "Come  on!  All  we 
can  do  now  is  to  search  the  house."  He  no  longer 
bothered  to  lower  his  voice.  He  led  the  way 

258 


The  Alster  Case 


straight  to  the  hall  closet  under  the  stairs  and  threw 
the  door  wide  open. 

"Ah,  just  as  I  thought,"  he  exclaimed.  He 
pointed  to  an  iron  trellis  hanging  against  one  wall 
of  the  closet  and  gave  it  a  jerk.  As  the  upright 
frame  came  away  from  the  wall  at  the  bottom, 
lateral  crossbars  flattened  out,  the  iron  trellis  be- 
came a  stepladder  leading  from  the  floor  of  the 
closet  to  its  ceiling. 

"There  must  be  a  trapdoor  through  the  ceiling 
of  that  closet  or  else  I  don't  see  what  use  this  step- 
ladder  is,"  I  exclaimed. 

"Right,"  responded  Trask,  more  good-naturedly 
than  he  had  spoken  to  me  for  some  time,  "we're 
on  the  right  track  at  last.  Come  on." 

We  hurried  up  the  stairs.  Over  this  closet  was 
another  hall  closet.  We  found  with  ease  the  trap- 
door that  allowed  egress  to  the  stepladder  in  the 
closet  below,  but  no  similar  ladder  appeared  in 
this  one,  nor  by  poking  the  walls  and  ceiling  could 
we  discover  any  way  of  secret  entrance  elsewhere. 

"Do  you  suppose  those  men  could  have  slipped 
into  the  closet  below  when  we  examined  this  one 
and  returned  here  when  we  searched  the  one  down 
there?"  I  asked. 

259 


The  Alster  Case 


Trask  slowly  shook  his  head.  "All  this  wasn't 
put  in  for  just  jack-in-the-box  work  like  that.  If  we 
look  about,  I  hope  we'll  find  some  hiding  place 
or  secret  exit  to  which  this  progresses."  But  we 
went  over  every  inch  of  the  walls  and  ceiling  of 
that  closet  without  finding  any  other  exit  except  its 
door  into  the  hall.  We  examined  the  walls  of  the 
rest  of  the  hall  with  no  better  success;  gradually  in 
our  obstinate  search  we  drifted  into  one  of  the  two 
long  and  separate  salons  that  took  up  the  remainder 
of  the  floor. 

"I  wonder  why "    Trask  began  and  stopped. 

Trask  was  looking  blankly  at  the  paneled  wall 
that  separated  the  two  salons.  "You  wonder  what?" 
I  asked. 

"I  wonder  why  there  isn't  any  door  opening  be- 
tween these  two  rooms,"  he  exclaimed  and  darted 
out  of  the  front  salon  into  the  rear  one  without 
giving  us  further  clew  to  his  thoughts. 

We  came  upon  him  eagerly  inspecting  the  same 
wall  in  the  other  room. 

"Ah,  I  thought  so,"  he  exclaimed  happily. 

"What?"  we  both  asked  together. 

"Haven't  you  noticed  that  this  wall  is  four  or 
five  feet  further  back  than  the  one  in  the  other 

260 


The  Alster  Case 


room?"  he  asked.  "And  no  closets  to  explain  what 
takes  up  the  lost  space.  Listen!"  He  knocked 
lightly  with  his  knuckles  on  the  paneling.  It  gave 
forth  a  hollow  sound. 

"We  are  on  the  track  of  the  place  in  which  they 
hide  their  roulette  wheels  during  a  raid,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "Now  let's  find  where  the  entrance  to 
this  secret  room  is." 

He  drew  us  out  into  the  hall.  He  stationed  Long- 
street  in  the  hall  where  the  wall  of  the  front  salon 
abutted  on  the  hall  wall,  and  he  placed  me  where 
the  wall  of  the  rear  salon  crossed  to  the  same  hall. 

"See!  About  five  feet  unaccounted  for,"  he 
cried,  "and  look  where  it  is,  directly  across  the  hall 
from  the  closet  to  which  the  ladder  runs.  Unless 
I'm  vastly  mistaken,  we  ought  to  find  a  secret  en- 
trance to  this  chamber  somewhere  in  this  five  feet 
of  wall  space." 

We  all  searched  earnestly,  but  it  was  Trask  who 
finally  discovered  the  secret  door  catch.  It  was  one 
of  the  buttons  in  the  fretwork  on  the  paneling,  low 
down  where  one  would  not  look  for  it,  and  it  oper- 
ated, not  by  pressing  upon  it,  but  by  switching  it 
to  one  side,  like  the  catch  on  a  handbag. 

Trask  pressed  against  the  panel,  and  suddenly  it 
261 


The  Alster  Case 


afforded  entrance  to  the  dark  chamber  beyond  by 
means  of  a  door  five  feet  high  by  perhaps  three 
feet  wide.  With  murmurs  of  admiration  he  pointed 
out  the  skill  with  which  that  door  had  been  pre- 
pared. It  swung  in.  When  closed  its  beveled  edge 
fitted  into  the  outside  paneling  so  perfectly  as  not 
to  leave  even  the  semblance  of  a  crack  for  the  eye 
to  catch  or  the  finger  to  feel. 

He  called  Linda's  name  into  the  dark  passage 
that  loomed  before.  Receiving  no  reply,  we 
scrambled  into  it  after  him.  He  detailed  Long- 
street  to  find  the  catch  that  operated  the  door  from 
the  inside  before  allowing  the  spring  to  shut  it. 
While  Longstreet  was  engaged  at  this,  we  exam- 
ined, with  the  aid  of  his  electric  flashlamp,  the  rami- 
fications of  the  chamber. 

It  was  empty.  A  fixed  iron  stepladder  led  to 
an  opening  in  the  floor  above,  thence  another  to 
a  similar  opening  on  the  fourth  floor,  and  on  the 
top  floor  a  third  stepladder  led  from  the  floor  of 
the  passage  to  a  point  high  on  the  wall  between 
that  building  and  the  next. 

"There  must  be  a  secret  exit  up  there  leading  onto 
the  roof  of  the  next  building,"  Trask  predicted,  "but 
we  won't  waste  time  just  now  proving  that.  The 

262 


The  Alster  Case 


disappointing  thing  is  that  I  hoped  we  had  come 
upon  the  place  where  they  hid  their  gambling  para- 
phernalia when  they  expected  a  raid,  but  this  appears 
to  be  nothing  more  than  a  way  of  escape.  If  we 
could  find  their  secret  storeroom,  we  might  find 
Linda;  if  not,  we  would  at  least  find  the  place  where 
they  hid  her  when  we  were  in  the  house  before. 
Well,  it  isn't  up  here  anyway!"  With  a  sigh  he 
led  the  way  back  downstairs. 

Here  we  found  that  Longstreet  had  discovered 
the  inner  catch  that  operated  the  door  in  the 
paneling.  He  allowed  it  to  swing  to,  switched  an 
inside  button  and  then  pulled  open  the  door  by 
means  of  a  knob  large  enough  for  his  fingers  to 
close  around. 

It  operated  without  a  sound;  so  perfectly  oiled 
was  the  entire  mechanism  that  it  closed  without 
even  a  click.  Longstreet  seemed  fascinated  with 
it. 

"But  this  isn't  finding  Linda,"  objected  Trask. 
"Come  on!  There  must  be  another  secret  room 
in  this  building  where  they  hide  their  gambling  para- 
phernalia, and  she  may  be  shut  up  there  waiting 
for  us  to  release  her.  The  chance  is  small,  prob- 
ably they  have  taken  her  away,  but  come." 

263 


The  Alster  Case 


Under  his  direction  we  explored  the  floors  above, 
making  a  most  careful  examination  of  the  walls 
in  quest  of  any  further  space  not  accounted  for. 
Not  a  cubic  foot  could  we  find. 

"Not  on  these  floors.  Not  on  the  ground  floor 
— I  looked  over  that  before  we  came  up — Lord, 
I  wonder  where  that  hiding  place  can  be!"  mut- 
tered Trask,  leading  the  way  back  downstairs. 

In  precaution  against  the  possible  return  of 
Keith  or  his  companions,  Trask  had  insisted  upon 
our  leaving  no  lights  burning  behind  us  and  was 
continually  warning  us  to  move  quietly.  We  crept 
downstairs  after  him  in  the  dark.  And  he  himself 
moved  so  noiselessly  that  we  did  not  know  where 
he  was  until  we  ran  into  him  on  the  second  floor. 

He  was  leaning  against  the  banister  gazing  at 
the  wall  which  held  the  door  to  the  secret  passage, 
and  evidently  exerting  his  mind  to  think  of  some 
other  direction  for  our  hunt  to  take.  I  spoke  to 
him.  He  did  not  answer.  We  stood  waiting  in 
silence  for  his  guidance. 

Time  passed  and  Trask  neither  spoke  nor  moved. 
I  began  to  wonder  if  he  intended  to  keep  us  dally- 
ing there  in  the  dark  forever.  I  had  little  faith 
in  his  belief  that  there  were  other  secret  chambers 

264 


The  Alster  Case 


in  that  house  which  we  had  already  searched  so 
thoroughly.  I  gave  no  credence  to  his  hope  that 
Linda  might  still  be  there.  And  I  had  to  choke 
down  a  feeling  that  the  gunmen  might  return  at 
any  minute  and  cut  off  our  way  of  escape  by  the 
front  door.  The  very  quiet  of  the  house — there 
was  not  so  much  as  the  comforting  ticking  of  a 
clock — seemed  to  threaten  this  and  other  dire 
things.  Why  should  he  keep  us  lingering  here 
while  his  mind  worked  dully  over  his  defeat?  Either 
Keith  and  his  companions  had  borne  Linda  away 
to  another  and  safer  hiding  place,  or  our  pursuit 
had  induced  them  to  free  her.  I  moved  restively 
to  make  him  aware  of  my  weariness  at  our  inaction, 
and  bent  over  the  banister  to  look  down  into  the 
lower  hall. 

Trask  paid  no  attention  to  me.  I  spread  my 
elbows  comfortably  on  the  banister  and  stared  down, 
my  eyes  not  consciously  taking  in  anything  below 
because  my  mind  was  taken  up  with  a  wish  that 
Trask  would  stop  dallying  and  get  us  out  on  the 
street  again  where  we  should  be  safe.  Once  I 
thought  I  heard  a  sound  on  the  basement  stairs 
as  if  a  cat  were  coming  up  them.  It  was  not  re- 
peated. Later  my  eyes  conjured  up  a  flitting  sha- 

265 


The  Alster  Case 


dow  in  the  dimly  lighted  hall  below,  only  to  be  un- 
able to  locate  it  definitely.  I  wearied  of  the  de- 
lusions my  excitement  was  working  upon  me,  and 
turned  back. 

At  that  very  instant  Trask  started  as  if  his  ears 
had  picked  up  a  warning  sound,  and,  after  listen- 
ing a  moment,  bent  over  the  banister.  I  looked 
over  again  myself;  Longstreet  crowded  me  for 
room  to  join;  all  three  of  us  were  soon  looking 
down. 

The  elevator  cage  was  only  a  few  feet  below 
us  to  the  left,  and  it  was  upon  this  fact  that  Trask's 
attention  seemed  to  be  fastened.  It  was  one  of 
the  small  elevators  such  as  are  installed  in  private 
residences,  not  over  three  feet  square  at  the  most, 
and  its  top  was  covered,  making  it  impossible  to 
see  inside  except  where  this  covering  matched  poorly 
against  the  crossbars  in  the  top  of  the  cage.  Trask's 
eyes  appeared  to  be  fixed  upon  this  slight  opening. 
For  a  moment  I,  too,  strove  to  see  through  the 
slight  crevice  in  the  cover  into  the  shadowy  gloom 
below,  then  my  eyes  veered  away  and  came  upon 
something  in  the  front  of  the  lower  hall  that  made 
my  blood  congeal. 

Stealing  through  the  front  door  so  silently  that 
266 


The  Alster  Case 


no  ear  could  have  detected  them  were  two  rough- 
looking  characters.  I  recognized  them  at  once  as 
the  two  gunmen,  Ike  the  Nailer  and  Lew  the  Blood. 
They  .stood  there,  guns  in  hand,  listening,  watch- 
ing, waiting.  Then  the  smaller  of  the  two  yelled 
in  a  vicious,  raucous  voice  that  rang  through  the 
house : 

"Come  down  out  of  there,  you,  or  we'll  fill  you 
as  full  of  holes  as  a  sieve." 

Trask  pulled  us  both  away  from  the  banister. 
While  the  gunmen  below  took  turns  roaring  out 
their  threats,  he  fumbled  for  the  catch  to  the  secret 
passage,  opened  the  door  and  pushed  us  through  it. 
There  was  a  sound  of  running  feet  in  the  hall  be- 
low, the  sound  of  the  elevator  being  started  and 
then  as  Trask  jumped  into  the  secret  passage  be- 
hind us,  the  echoing  hiss  and  clatter  of  a  number 
of  shots  being  fired  downstairs. 

I  reached  for  the  door  in  the  paneling  to  swing 
it  to,  but  Trask  jerked  it  from  my  hand,  and  sprang 
out  into  the  hall  again.  He  appeared  to  have  gone 
mad,  for  he  began  to  shout  orders  wildly  to  a  num- 
ber of  imaginary  men,  and  he  fired  shot  after  shot 
from  his  automatic. 


XVII 

LONGSTREET    followed  Trask  through  the 
secret   door   while   I   was   yet   wondering 
whether  our  leader  had  gone  mad.     Be- 
fore I  could  lay  hold  of  it,  the  door  closed  after 
him.     I  fumbled  wildly  in  the  dark  for  its  inner 
catch,  found  it  and  sprang  out  after  them. 

In  the  house  all  was  silent  again,  strangely,  omi- 
nously silent,  as  if  brooding  a  new  horror.  Trask 
was  at  the  banister  again.  I  saw  him  slowly,  fur- 
tively bend  over  it  and  look  down.  Evidently  he 
perceived  no  danger,  for  he  bent  further  and  fur- 
ther over  without  once  drawing  back.  I  dreaded  to 
look  on  what  he  looked,  but  could  not  keep  myself 
from  doing  it.  I  bent  over  carefully  and  looked 
into  the  hall  below.  Not  a  person  was  to  be  seen. 
I  turned  to  Trask  with  astonishment.  His  atten- 
tion seemed  to  be  centered,  not  on  the  lower  hall,  but 
again  on  the  elevator.  This  had  been  started  and 
stopped  several  feet  below  our  floor.  I  looked 
through  the  crack  in  its  roof-covering  and  could  see 
nothing.  My  eyes  veered  to  the  entrance  on  the 

268 


The  Alster  Case 


lower  floor  and  I  saw  that  the  elevator  door  there 
was  wide  open.  If  the  elevator  had  contained  some- 
one, as  Trask's  attention  intimated,  its  occupant  had 
either  joined  the  gunmen  or  the  gunmen  had  got 
into  the  elevator  cage  with  him  and  were  now  play- 
ing possum.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  they  were 
all  hidden  in  that  cage  waiting  in  ambush  for  us 
to  make  our  position  known.  We  were  in  for  it 
now,  I  felt  sure,  with  three  desperate  men  to  get 
past  before  we  could  effect  our  escape.  I  shuddered 
and  drew  in  my  head.  I  reached  for  Trask  and 
signed  that  we  had  better  return  to  the  safe  shelter 
of  the  secret  passage.  He  shook  off  my  hand. 

"Come  on,"  he  cried  in  a  voice  that  rang  through 
the  still  house.  He  ran  down  the  stairs,  pistol  in 
hand,  not  making  any  attempt  to  be  noiseless.  Had 
the  man  lost  all  his  sense,  or  did  he  believe  that 
our  only  chance  now  lay  through  the  display  of  this 
bravado?  For  a  moment  I  stood  staring  after  him 
in  dismay,  then  I  followed  him  and  Longstreet 
helter  skelter  down  the  stairs. 

By  the  time  we  caught  up  with  him  he  was  stand- 
ing before  the  open  door  of  the  elevator,  gazing 
into  it,  a  pistol  in  one  hand  and  his  flashlamp  in 
the  other.  I  crowded  up  against  Longstreet  to 

269 


The  Alster  Case 


look  over  his  shoulder.  The  spraying  rays  of  the 
torch  fell  on  a  body  lying  in  a  huddle  in  the  centre 
of  the  elevator.  Trask  dropped  his  pistol  into  his 
pocket  and  with  his  free  hand  turned  the  victim's 
head  toward  us.  The  ghastly  light  of  the  torch  fell 
on  the  white  face  of  Keith,  brought  a  dull  gloss 
to  the  matted  blood  on  his  hair  and  face. 

For  a  moment  we  all  stood  back,  then  Trask 
whispered  something  to  Longstreet,  and  together 
they  lifted  Keith  from  the  elevator  and  bore  him 
into  the  room  at  the  rear.  Without  hesitation, 
Trask  deposited  him  on  the  floor  and  switched  on 
the  lights.  Then  he  bent  down  over  Keith  and 
examined  his  wound. 

"No  fracture,  unless  I'm  mistaken.  Only 
stunned."  Trask  rose  alertly  as  if  called  by  af- 
fairs of  much  greater  moment.  "One  of  you 
get  some  water  and  bring  him  to,"  he  ordered; 
"the  other  come  with  me."  He  hurried  out  into 
the  hall. 

I  looked  at  Longstreet  and  Longstreet  looked 
at  me,  then  I  hastened  after  Trask,  not  relishing 
being  left  alone.  He  was  at  the  elevator  door 
about  to  scramble  up  into  the  cage  when  I  ap- 
proached. 

270 


The  Alster  Case 


"Here,  you're  a  younger  man  than  I  am,"  he 
said,  "climb  up  into  that  car  and  run  it  back  to  this 
floor." 

I  got  into  the  cage  and,  following  his  directions 
about  operating  the  lever,  soon  had  the  elevator 
back  on  a  level  with  the  ground  floor.  He  entered 
it  and  at  once  began  a  careful  examination  of  the 
grilled  cage. 

"What  in  the  world  are  you  looking  for  in  here?" 
I  could  not  help  asking. 

"Miss  Linda,"  Trask  replied  curtly. 

I  laughed  sarcastically.  What  could  the  thin 
iron  grille  on  that  side  of  the  elevator  cage  have 
to  do  with  the  hiding  of  Linda? 

"Do  you  remember,"  he  murmured  while  his 
hands  still  kept  busy  rambling  about  the  iron  work, 
"that  series  of  strange  sounds  we  heard  the  first 
time  we  got  in  here?  First  there  was  a  woman's 
cry,  then  the  clank  of  iron  being  brought  together, 
then  a  swish  and  a  suction — well,  what  has  just 
happened  has  convinced  me  that  all  these  sounds 
came  from  this  elevator." 

"What  makes  you  think  that?" 

"Why  should  Keith  have  stolen  into  this  ele- 
vator? Why  should  the  gunmen  have  opened 

271 


The  Alster  Case 


fire    on    him    the     moment     he     started     it     up?" 

"I  don't  know,  unless  they  had  quarreled  over 
something  and  he  thought  to  escape  by  means  of 
the  elevator." 

"Suppose  Keith  sneaked  in  here  to  get  Linda 
away  from  them  and  they  followed  suspecting  him, 
wouldn't  everything  have  happened  just  about  as 
it  did?" 

"Yes,  but "  I  couldn't  think  of  any  better 

theory  to  propose. 

"Well,  that  convinces  me  that  this  elevator  leads 
in  some  direct  way  to  the  place  where  Linda  is 
hidden.  If — ah!"  his  prolonged  sigh  of  satisfac- 
tion manifested  that  at  last  his  fingers  had  discov- 
ered something.  I  looked  over  his  shoulder.  He 
had  found  a  catch  on  the  grating  on  that  side  of 
the  cage.  He  pressed  it  and  the  entire  grating  loos- 
ened from-  the  upright ;  he  pulled  and  it  swung  with 
a  clang  against  the  upright  at  the  front  of  the  cage, 
leaving  one  whole  side  of  the  cage  open  to  the  wall 
of  the  adjoining  closet. 

"But  we've  already  examined  that  closet  thor- 
oughly and  she  wasn't  in  it,"  I  protested. 

"Yes,"  Trask  admitted,  "but  wait  a  minute."  He 
lighted  the  lamp  attached  to  the  opposite  side  of 

272 


The  Alster  Case 


the  cage.  "Now,  start  up  slowly,  and  stop  the 
moment  I  give  you  the  word." 

I  did  as  he  ordered.  As  the  car  ran  slowly  up- 
ward,, he  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  the  adjoin- 
ing wall  on  his  side.  "Yes,  closet  here;  we  looked 
into  that,"  he  mused  as  we  passed  the  second  floor. 
"Hold  on  there,  stop  here,"  he  called  as  we  came 
to  the  third  floor.  "Look  at  all  this  walled-in  space 
under  the  stairs.  I  don't  remember  finding  any 
closet  to  account  for  this,  do  you?" 

I  shook  my  head.  At  his  request,  I  got  out  into 
the  hall  and  investigated.  There  was  no  closet  on 
this  floor  to  correspond  to  those  on  the  two  floors 
below. 

"I  thought  not."  Trask  received  my  report  with 
a  nod  of  satisfaction.  "Then  this  must  be  the  place. 
Who  would  think  of  a  secret  closet  to  be  entered 
only  through  the  closed  grating  in  the  side  of  an 
elevator?  We've  found  it,  boy,  I'll  stake  my  repu- 
tation on  it."  He  drew  his  pistol  excitedly  from 
his  pocket  and  knocked  with  its  butt-end  against 
the  wall  on  that  side. 

"Is  that  someone  in  there  or  out  in  the  street?" 
I  cried  as  I  heard  faint,  muffled  cries  apparently 
coming  from  a  great  distance. 

273 


The  Alster  Case 


"We'll  soon  see,"  he  replied;  "here,  unhook  that 
lamp  and  hold  it  where  it  will  throw  all  its  light 
on  this  wall." 

I  not  only  held  the  light,  but  joined  eagerly  in 
the  search  with  my  free  hand.  We  examined  every 
inch  of  the  wall  once  without  finding  either  joint 
or  catch  that  would  afford  us  entrance.  We  went 
all  over  it  a  second  time  with  the  same  result.  I 
ceased  investigating.  Trask  stood  back  and  looked 
at  that  impenetrable  wall  space  with  his  hand  to 
his  head. 

"It's  useless!  We'll  have  to  get  an  axe,"  I  sug- 
gested. 

"Here,  wait!"  Trask  suddenly  leaped  back  to 
the  wall,  placed  the  palms  of  his  two  hands  against 
it  and  pushed  upward.  A  door  the  width  of  the 
entire  elevator  began  to  rise;  it  rose  as  easily  as  a 
window  hung  on  a  counterpoise.  And  the  cries 
from  within  swelled  louder  in  our  ears.  They  were 
hysterical,  yet  husky,  as  if  the  girl  had  screamed 
most  of  her  voice  away  unheard.  And  with  them 
came  another  sound,  a  sound  as  of  a  girl  beating 
futilely  with  bare  hands  against  an  iron  door. 

"We're  coming!  We're  coming!  Be  patient," 
cried  Trask.  He  stepped  onto  the  wide  ledge  left 

274 


The  Alster  Case 


by  the  raised  door,  which  evidently  was  double  and 
filled  between  with  a  sound-deadening  material.  I 
followed  with  the  lamp.  We  found  ourselves 
stopped  by  a  sheet-iron  door. 

"There's  a  knob.  There!  See!  On  the  left!" 
I  yelled. 

Trask's  hand  was  already  on  it.  He  turned  it. 
He  tried  to  open  the  door  toward  us.  It  did  not 
budge.  He  gave  it  an  impatient  shove  in  the  other 
direction.  The  door  gave.  There  was  a  cry  of 
alarm  from  within,  a  sound  of  a  falling  body,  then 
Trask  sprang  through  the  opening. 

A  moment  later  he  had  Linda  back  in  the  ele- 
vator with  us,  sobbing  hysterically  on  his  shoulder 
and  supported  by  his  arms. 

"There!  There!  Don't  cry  any  more.  You're 
safe  now  and  we  won't  let  anybody  hurt  you,"  he 
calmed  her. 

"I — I've  been  shut — shut  up — in — there — two  or 
three  days,"  Linda  sobbed. 

"No,  my  dear,  only  a  few  hours,  but  it  must 
have  seemed  like  that,"  comforted  Trask. 

"Where — where  are  they?"  She  lifted  her  head 
from  his  shoulder,  her  fear  stilling  her  sense  of 
outrage. 

275 


The  Alster  Case 


"They've  gone."  Trask  signed  for  me  to  start 
the  elevator  down. 

"They  won't  come  back?" 

Trask  laughed  reassuringly.  "They're  not 
likely  to." 

"The  horrid  beasts  to  treat  me  that  way  when 
I  trusted  them,"  Linda  was  rapidly  becoming  her 
petulant  self  again;  "they  promised  to  let  me 
go  after  writing  my  note  to  Beatrice  and 

then "  she  stamped  her  feet  on  the  floor  in  a 

passion. 

I  stopped  the  elevator  at  the  first  floor  and  Trask 
led  her,  not  into  the  room  where  we  had  left  Keith, 
but  into  the  front  reception  room,  and  closed  the 
door  between  them;  also  he  closed  the  door  into 
the  hall. 

"Now,  young  lady,"  he  said  turning  alertly  on 
Linda,  "suppose  you  tell  us  all  about  it." 

"All  about  what?"  Linda  sank  into  a  deep  chair 
and  assumed  the  important  task  of  rearranging  her 
hair. 

"All  about  those  horrid  beasts  and  how  you  came 
to  fall  into  their  hands." 

"Will  you  punish  them?"  Linda  forgot  her  hair, 
sat  up,  her  blue  eyes  sending  out  sparks. 

276 


The  Ahter  Case 


"I'll  attend  to  them  all  right,"  Trask  nodded 
gravely. 

"Then  I  will.  Why  shouldn't  I,  after  the  way 
they  have  treated  me?"  Linda  sank  back  in  her 
seat  again  with  a  sigh.  But  though  we  waited,  she 
said  nothing  more.  She  retreated  into  a  sullen, 
moody,  silence;  it  was  evident  that  her  vindictive- 
ness  was  about  as  enduring  and  as  much  to  be 
counted  on  as  her  other  fickle  feelings. 

"Well?"  demanded  Trask  at  last. 

"I'm  so  tired  and  hungry  and  miserable.  Please 
don't  ask  me  to  tell  you  anything  about  this  now," 
she  requested  with  a  smile  meant  to  cajole  Trask 
from  his  purpose. 

But  Trask  gave  way  not  an  inch  before  her.  "Do 
you  want  them  to  get  you  into  their  hands  again?" 

"Oh,  no,  no,  no!" 

"They  may  unless  you  tell  me  everything  so  that 
I  can  protect  you  from  them." 

Linda  put  her  hands  to  her  eyes,  threatening  to 
weep. 

Trask's  voice  became  impatient.  "You've  already 
got  yourself  into  one  dangerous  situation  through 
your  silly  silence.  You'll  get  into  another  from 
which  we  may  not  be  able  to  extricate  you  so  easily, 

277 


The  Alster  Case 


if  you  persist.  Miss  Alster,  just  so  long  as  you 
allow  Keith  to  go  about  claiming  to  be  your 
brother " 

"My  brother!"  Linda  jumped  to  her  feet.  "Then 
he  told  you,  too?  The  mean  thing!  I'll  never  for- 
give him  for  that."  Linda  began  to  walk  angrily 
up  and  down  the  room.  "I'll  never,  never  forgive 
him  for  that,"  she  kept  murmuring  to  herself. 

"I'd  rather  learn  all  about  it  from  you  than  from 
him,"  Trask  pressed  her. 

"I'll  tell.  Yes,  I'm  going  to  tell."  Linda 
stopped  and  faced  Trask.  "Listen !  My  aunt  hired 
him  to  serve  as  our  butler.  He  was  the  newest  one 
of  her  proteges  and  she  talked  of  no  one  but  him 
until  we  were  sick  of  the  sound  of  his  name.  At 
first  he  was  a  good  servant,  paid  no  attention  to 
me,  minded  his  own  business.  Then,  as  soon  as  he 
had  made  sure  of  his  place  with  her,  he  began  to 
devote  himself  to  me.  I  didn't  fancy  it  that  a  but- 
ler should  always  be  volunteering  to  go  out  and 
mail  my  letters  or  run  upstairs  half  a  dozen  times 
a  day  for  things  I  had  forgotten.  One  of  the  maids 
could  have  attended  to  those  things,  but  he  was 
always  at  hand  offering  his  services  and  I  didn't  like 
to  offend  him  by  refusing. 

278 


The  Alster  Case 


"After  a  time  he  got  to  stopping  me  in  the  hall 
and  on  the  stairs  when  no  one  else  was  around,  and 
saying  he  had  something  he  wanted  to  tell  me.  I 
thought  he  had  merely  developed  a  crush  on  me,  so 
I  always  just  laughed  and  got  away.  This  kept  on 
for  some  time  and  finally  one  night  when  I  was 
alone  in  the  house,  he  came  to  my  room,  closed  the 
door,  and  told  me  that  he  was  my  brother.  He 
said  that  he  hadn't  told  anyone  and  didn't  intend 
to,  but  had  merely  taken  this  method  of  getting 
near  to  have  a  talk  with  me.  At  first,  I  didn't  be- 
lieve it.  It  didn't  seem  possible.  But  he  had  names 
and  dates  and  facts  and  I — well,  what  could  I  do? 
I  didn't  know  a  thing  about  myself  except  that  once, 
when  my  aunt  was  in  a  rage  against  me,  she  said 
she  had  adopted  me  and  that  I  might  have  been  a 
shopgirl  or  on  the  streets  if  she  hadn't  taken  pity  on 
me. 

"I  was  at  my  wit's  end.  I  didn't  know  what  to 
do.  My  aunt  and  I  didn't  get  along  well,  she  was 
always  finding  fault  with  me.  I  felt  that,  if  she 
found  out  that  this  butler  was  my  brother,  she 
might  disinherit  me  entirely  or — well,  I  knew  her, 
she  wouldn't  have  hesitated  to  turn  me  out  of  the 
house.  So  I  made  him  promise  not  to  tell  a  soul 

279 


The  Alster  Case 


and  I  let  things  drift.  Then  my  aunt  began  to  notice 
the  way  he  was  devoting  himself  to  me.  She  came 
out  of  her  room  one  time,  caught  us  talking  in 
whispers  on  the  stairs,  called  me  into  her  room,  and 
accused  me  of  carrying  on  a  flirtation  with  him. 
After  that  he  used  to  make  a  sign  when  he  wanted 
to  talk  with  me  and  I  went  to  my  room  and  waited 
for  him  to  come  there. 

"My  aunt  caught  him  at  this,  came  to  my  room, 
and  surprised  us  talking  together.  Of  course  I 
couldn't  say  anything  except  to  make  some  silly 
trumped-up  excuse  for  his  being  there  that  was 
worse  than  none  at  all.  She  gave  him  his  notice, 
sent  him  out  of  the  room,  and  then  gave  me  the 
most  terrible  talking  to  I  had  ever  had  in  my  life. 
She  accused  me  of  being  a  low  creature  that  no 
amount  of  work  on  her  part  could  raise  to  a  higher 
level.  I  could  see  if  she  ever  learned  that  Keith 
was  my  brother,  it  would  simply  end  everything 
with  her  for  me.  So  I  slipped  a  note  under  Keith's 
door  begging  him  not  to  notice  me  any  more  and 
not  to  tell  anyone. 

"The  next  day  I  received  a  note  from  him  say- 
ing he  wouldn't  tell  my  aunt  or  anyone  of  our  re- 
lationship, but  that  he  must  have  one  long  talk  with 

280 


The  Alster  Case 


me  before  he  left.  He  would  wait  until  some  even- 
ing when  my  aunt  was  out  and  it  would  be  safe. 
Then  came  that  evening  when  my  aunt  went  to  the 
opera  with  Mr.  Swan.  Keith  came  to  my  room. 
He  said  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  sacrifice  him- 
self for  my  sake,  but  that  when  I  came  into  her 
money  he  ought  to  have  a  share  in  it  for  keeping 
silent.  I  agreed;  I  agreed  to  everything  he  asked, 
only  trying  to  get  him  out  of  my  room  before 
Beatrice  noticed  he  was  there  or  my  aunt  returned. 
And  then,  just  as  he  was  about  to  go,  I  heard  some- 
one running  upstairs  and " 

"Someone?"  interrupted  Trask. 

"Yes,  someone,  and  then " 

"One  minute."  Trask  held  up  a  hand.  "Did 
you  hear  one  or  two  persons  running  up  those 
stairs?" 

"Two.  First  there  was  Beatrice,  and  then  my 
aunt.  And  as  soon  as " 

"Wait  a  minute!"  Trask  refused  to  let  her  go 
on.  "You  heard  someone  on  the  stairs;  you  had 
Keith  hide  in  your  room;  then  what  did  you  do?" 

"Why!     I  just  waited,  I  guess." 

"You  opened  the  door  to  see  who  it  was,  didn't 


you?' 


281 


The  Alster  Case 


"Who  told  you  I  did  that?     Has  Beatrice— 

"One  minute !  Let  us  get  this  straightened  out 
first.  You  opened  that  door,  didn't  you?" 

"Well— y-es." 

"And  you  looked  out  and  saw  two  people  and 
then  your  aunt,  didn't  you?" 

"Two  people  including  my  aunt." 

Trask  fixed  her  with  a  look.  "You  might  as  well 
tell  a  story  that  agrees  with  the  other  ones,"  he 
said  slowly.  "If  you  falsify  about  one  point,  how 
can  you  expect  us  to  believe  any  of  the  rest? 
Now " 


'Has   Beatrice- 


"Miss  Linda,"  interrupted  Trask  hotly,  "who 
was  the  man  you  saw  in  that  upper  hall  with  Miss 
Beatrice  before  your  aunt  came  up?" 

"I   shan't  tell  you." 

"Very  well."  Trask  pretended  to  be  disap- 
pointed, but  I  could  detect  the  hindered  smile  of 
satisfaction  over  her  unintentional  admission  that 
some  one  had  been  there.  In  a  moment  it  was  gone 
and  his  manner  was  persuasive  again.  "Very  well, 
you  closed  your  door  before -your  aunt  came  up- 
stairs, didn't  you?" 

"Yes,  I " 

282 


The  Alster  Case 


"Did  you  listen  to  the  quarrel  with  Miss  Beatrice 
she  had  out  there  in  the  hall?" 

"I  don't  know  that  I  should  call  it  a  quarrel." 

"How  long  did  it  last?" 

"Perhaps  five  minutes." 

"What  was  it  about?" 

"Why  do  you  ask  me  that?    If  Beatrice " 

"Well,  never  mind  about  that.  What  happened 
after  that?" 

"My  aunt  went  downstairs.  I  opened  my  door 
and  saw  Beatrice  standing  out  in  the  hall  in  front 
of  her  door.  She  didn't  see  me,  so  I  closed  mine 
softly.  Keith  had  hidden  under  my  bed.  I  went 
to  him  and  told  him  he  must  leave  the  house  that 
very  night.  I  promised  that  if  he  would  do  that, 
and  not  tell  anyone  about  our  relationship,  I  would 
do  anything  he  asked.  And  then  after  a  time  my 
door  opened  and  Beatrice  came  in." 

"Did  she  see  Keith?" 

"I — I'm  not  going  to  tell." 

"Very  well,   what  then?" 

"Beatrice  and  I  went  out  in  the  hall,  looked  over 
the  banister  and  saw  the  light  showing  in  the  hall 
below  from  aunt's  room.  Then "  Linda  ap- 
peared obviously  to  be  jumping  a  gap — "then,  I 

283 


The  Alster  Case 


went  back  into  my  room  and,  as  soon  as  her  door 
was  closed,  Keith  left  the  house." 

"Who  closed  your  aunt's  door?" 

Linda's  thin  lips  closed  tightly;  she  merely  shook 
her  head. 

"Do  you  mean  you  don't  know  or  that  you  won't 
tell?" 

Linda  turned  away  without  a  word. 

"Was  it  Keith  or  you?" 

"Oh,  it  wasn't  either  of  us."  Linda's  denial  was 
too  prompt  to  be  dissembled. 

"Was  Keith  the  first  one  to  leave  the  house  after 
your  aunt's  door  was  closed?" 

"Why,  yes — of  course." 

"Can  you  swear  that  he  left  the  house?" 

"I  watched  over  the  banister  until  he  got  all  the 
way  down  and  out." 

"And  you  are  sure  this  was  after  your  aunt's 
door  was  closed?" 

"Why  yes,  of  course." 

Trask  turned  away  as  if  he  had  learned  all  he 
needed,  then  suddenly  he  turned  back  to  her  again. 
"Miss  Linda,"  he  inquired  quickly,  "who  told  Miss 
Beatrice  that  Keith  was  your  brother,  you  or 
Keith?" 

284 


The  Alster  Case 


"Did  he  tell  her  that!"  Linda  looked  at  Trask 
as  if  she  could  not  believe  it,  then  after  a  moment 
she  turned  away  with  her  first  sob. 

"Yes,  and  now  if  you'll  stay  right  in  this  room 
and  listen  you'll  see  what  that  little  sneak  gets  for 
playing  double  with  everyone  concerned."  Trask 
walked  angrily  to  the  door  into  the  hall,  flung  it 
open  and  went  out.  After  a  moment  I  followed 
him. 


XVIII 

KEITH  had  evidently  regained  consciousness. 
We  heard  him  whimpering  to  Longstreet 
even  before  we  entered  the  other  door. 

"He  wants  to  go,"  explained  Longstreet. 

Trask  stood  over  the  wounded,  abject  creature 
lying  on  the  floor.  "So  you  want  to  go,  do  you?" 
he  demanded. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Nothing  to  attend  to  first  here  in  the  house 
before  you  take  leave?" 

"No,  sir.  I — I  want  to  go  and  have  my  head 
fixed  up."  He  put  one  hand  on  the  wound  which 
Longstreet  had  rudely  bound  up  with  a  handker- 
chief. 

"Keith,"  Trask's  voice  grew  angry,  "where  is 
Miss  Linda?" 

"Miss  Linda?"  Keith  pretended  not  to  under- 
stand why  this  question  should  be  addressed  to 
him. 

"Yes,  where  have  you  hidden  her?" 

"Hidden  her?" 

286 


The  Alster  Case 


"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you'd  go  out  of 
this  house  and  leave  her  to  starve  to  death  where 
you've  hidden  her  away  from  us?" 

"I  didn't  hide  her,  I  give  you  my  word  for  it,  I 
didn't  hide  her,"  whimpered  Keith,  his  voice  break- 
ing a  little  before  the  stern  tone  and  manner  with 
which  Trask  bore  down  on  him. 

"Get  up  out  of  there !"  Trask  was  domineering, 
bullying,  quite  a  different  man  from  the  mild,  good- 
natured,  almost  kindly  being  I  had  considered  him. 
But  the  effect  was  immediate. 

Keith  scrambled  nervously  from  the  floor  to  his 
feet. 

"A  fine  piece  of  work  you  are!"  Trask's  tone 
was  scathing. 

Keith  cringed.  "You  ain't  got  no  right  nor  call 
to  treat  me  this  way,"  he  muttered. 

"I  haven't?  If  I  gave  you  what  you  ought  to  get, 
I'd  beat  you  to  a  jelly  and  leave  you  for  the  cor- 
oner. Come,  what  have  you  got  to  say  for  your- 
self?" 

"I  ain't  got  nothing  to  say.  What  would  I  have 
to  say?"  Keith  tried  to  brave  Trask's  eyes,  failed, 
his  eyes  dropped,  and  sneaked  furtively  about  the 
floor  of  the  room.  "I  ain't  got  nothing  to  say.  I 

287 


The  Alster  Case 


don't  know  what  you  mean,"  he  mumbled  submis- 
sively. 

"Well,  I've  got  something  to  say  to  you."  Trask 
moved  away  from  his  position  between  Keith  and 
the  door.  But  he  had  evidently  foreseen  the  effect 
of  this  move,  for  he  stepped  back  in  time  to  frus- 
trate Keith's  dive  for  freedom.  He  held  him  easily 
with  one  arm,  then  threw  him  back  into  the  nearest 
chair. 

"There!  You  sit  there  until  I  finish  with  you," 
he  ordered. 

"You  can't  hold  me.  I  haven't  done  anything 
that  you  can  hold  me  for,"  protested  Keith,  breath- 
ing hard. 

"I've  got  plenty  to  hold  you  for,  if  I  wanted 
to,"  answered  Trask,  "but  what  use  such  a  weak, 
sniveling  sneak  as  you  would  be  to  us,  I  don't  see. 
However,  you  just  sit  there  until  I've  had  my  say 
with  you." 

"You  can't  pull  me  for  anything.  I  haven't  done 
a  thing  that  you  can  send  me  down  for.  I'm  glad 
you  know  enough  to  see  that."  Keith  seemed  to 
perk  up  a  lot  at  the  news  that  he  was  not  to  be 
held. 

Trask  silenced  him  with  a  look.  With  a  gesture 
288 


The  Alster  Case 


he  waved  that  whole  subject  aside.  "Keith,"  he 
said,  "you  claim  to  be  Miss  Linda's  brother,  don't 
you?" 

"Yes,  and  what  if  I  do?" 

"Nothing,  only  you're  not." 

"I — I — I'd  like  to  know  what  you  know  about 
that.  Don't  you  suppose  I  know  my  own  sister? 
Pretty  soon  you'll  be  telling  me " 

"I'm  telling  you  now."  Trask  heedlessly  inter- 
rupted his  whimpering  protest.  "Listen!  You  base 
your  claim  to  being  her  brother  on  the  fact  that  your 
father  and  mother  were  begging  letter  writers  here 
by  the  name  of  Taylor.  So  far,  so  good.  They 
were  driven  out  of  New  York  by  the  police  and  you 
were  taken  away  from  them  and  put  into  a  found- 
ling asylum.  Four  years  later  they  returned  here 
to  play  the  same  game.  This  time  they  kept  with 
them  a  two-year-old  baby  that  they  exhibited  to 
people  who  descended  on  them  to  investigate  tKeir 
requests  for  alms.  This  child  also  was  taken  away 
from  them  and  later  adopted  by  Miss  Alster.  It's  on 
this  ground,  isn't  it,  that  you  claim  that  Linda  Alster 
is  your  sister?" 

"We  can't  help  our  parents.  We  don't  choose 
'em.  But  I'd  like  to  know  what  better  proof  I 

289 


The  Alster  Case 


need  to  show  that  Linda  is  my  sister."  Keith  sat 
up,  facing  Trask  with  a  confident  grin. 

"Is  that  all  you've  got  to  prove  your  relation- 
ship?" 

"I'd  like  to  know  what  more  I  need." 

"Have  you  consulted  your  parents  about  it?" 

"No.     What's  the  need  of  that?" 

"Well,  you  take  my  advice  and  go  and  ask  them 
about  it." 

"Ask  them  about  it!  Why?"  Keith  seemed 
puzzled. 

"Because  she's  no  more  your  sister  than  the  Em- 
press of  Russia  is." 

"Oh,  come  off.  Don't  try  to  put  one  over  on  me 
like  that.  Do  I  have  to  ask  my  mother  if  my 
sister's  my  sister?" 

"Yes,  you  do  when  your  mother  is  a  begging 
letter  writer." 

"See  here  now!"  Keith  rose  to  his  feet.  "You 
can  insult  me,  but  you  can't " 

"Sit  down,  close  your  trap  and  listen  to  what  I've 
got  to  say  to  you."  Trask  pushed  him  summarily 
back  into  his  chair.  "You  know  enough  about  beg- 
ging letter  writers,  don't  you,  to  understand  that 
the  babies  that  they  show  to  people  prying  into  their 

290 


The  Alster  Case 


affairs  are  frequently  not  their  own  children  at  all? 
Oh,  very  well,  you  don't  need  to  admit  it.  It's  a 
well  known  fact  that  these  babies  are  borrowed  or 
rented  or  adopted  from  other  families  living  in  the 
tenements.  I  know  what  I'm  talking  about.  I'm 
casting  no  aspersions  on  your  parentage,  understand 
that.  The  reports  I  have  looked  up  show  clearly 
that  you  are  the  son  of  the  Taylors.  But  other  re- 
ports show  quite  as  clearly  and  indubitably  that 
Miss  Linda  Alster  is  not." 

"Wha — what  do  you  mean?"  Keith  was  staring 
at  Trask  with  his  mouth  agape  and  his  face  grow- 
ing whiter  and  whiter. 

"I  mean  that  your  little  blackmail  game  is  all 
over,  can  never  be  worked  again.  I  mean  that  while 
your  parents  were  in  Cleveland  after  being  driven 
out  of  New  York  they  secured  under  false  pretenses 
a  baby  belonging  to  a  widow  living  in  the  same  tene- 
ment and,  before  this  woman  died,  they  ran  away 
with  it.  They  stole  this  child.  It  wasn't  theirs. 
And  that  child  was  Linda  Alster.  As  I  told  you 
in  the  beginning,  she  is  not  your  sister.  She  is  no 
relation  to  you  whatever." 

"Have — have  you  told  her?"  Keith  got  out  the 
question  with  difficulty. 

291 


The  Alster  Case 


"Yes,  she  is  in  the  other  room  listening  to  every 
word  that  passes  between  us." 

Keith  moistened  his  lips.  He  forced  a  laugh. 
"Hell,  all  this  is  easy  enough  for  you  to  say,"  he 
managed  at  last  to  mutter  tauntingly. 

"Yes,  and  I  haven't  many  more  words  I  want 
to  say  to  you.  Get  up,  Mr.  Keith,  Taylor,  or  what- 
ever your  real  name  is;  you're  about  as  petty  and 
sneaking  a  blackmailer  as  I've  ever  been  able  to 
keep  my  hands  off  of.  If  I  ever  hear  of  your  try- 
ing this  game  on  her  again,  you  won't  get  off  so 
easy." 

Keith  mumbled  something. 

"How  much  of  that  first  thousand  dollars  did 
Lew  the  Blood  allow  to  stick  to  your  hands?" 

"They  took "  Keith's  grievance  made  him 

almost  forget  himself. 

"Every  cent?"  Trask  gave  him  no  time  to 
think. 

"Well,  y-es,  but——" 

"But  you  thought  to  outwit  them  by  taking  away 
Miss  Linda  when  they  weren't  around.  And  see 
what  the  result  of  that  was.  If  it  hadn't  been  for 
us,  they'd  have  croaked  you,  left  you  in  the  elevator 
with  a  shot  in  your  hide  for  the  county  to  bury. 

292 


The  Alster  Case 


That's  what  you  can  expect  attempting  to  use  guns 
like  them  for  your  own  sneaking  ends.  What  did 
they  send  for  Miss  Beatrice  for?" 

"I  don't  know.  They  made  me  get  Linda  to 
write  to  her.  They  made  me " 

"I  don't  suppose  it  ever  dawned  on  you  that  they 
meant  to  compromise  with  her  for  a  lump  sum  and 
then  hand  you  over  to  the  police?  No,  I  can  see 
it  didn't.  But  you  know  it  now  and  perhaps  you've 
learned  better  than  to  go  near  them  again.  And 
now,  git  I" 

Keith  mumbled  something. 

Trask  made  a  wipe  at  him  with  one  of  his  arms. 
"Git!" 

Keith  dodged  and  sneaked  away  through  the 
door  without  so  much  as  another  word  or  look. 
We  all  waited  in  silence  until  we  heard  the  outer 
door  close  behind  him. 

"That's  the  last  any  of  us  is  likely  to  hear  of 
Mr.  Keith,"  announced  Trask,  "and  incidentally,  in 
disposing  of  his  case,  I  have  doubtless  completed 
the  commission  which  the  late  Miss  Cornelia  Alster 
intended  for  me."  His  voice  changed  to  his  ordi- 
nary good-natured  tone.  "By  the  way,  do  you  men 
realize  what  time  it  is?"  He  pulled  out  his  watch. 

293 


The  Alster  Case 


"Two  o'clock!  Time  we  were  getting  Miss  Linda 
away."  He  closed  the  door  for  a  moment.  "I 
thought  it  was  better  that  you  should  know  these 
facts  in  order  that  Miss  Linda  might  be  assured 
of  protection  in  the  future  when  I  might  not  be 
aware  she  needed  it,"  he  informed  us,  "but  I  must 
ask  you  to  promise  me  not  to  let  this  news  about 
her  spread  any  further." 

We  promised  and  followed  him  out  into  the  hall. 
And  from  then  on  we  every  one  of  us  found  a  new 
Trask  to  reckon  with.  It  was  as  if,  gradually  feel- 
ing his  way,  he  had  at  last  established  enough  data 
to  shape  his  own  course  and  this  rendered  him  heed- 
less of  any  of  our  wishes.  All  his  earlier  complais- 
ance vanished;  in  its  place  appeared  a  determina- 
tion to  handle  matters  in  his  own  way,  not  to  be 
frustrated.  During  the  rest  of  that  night  he  moved 
us  about  like  pawns,  utterly  disregarding  our  de- 
sires, disdaining  even  to  argue  them,  compelling  us 
to  stand,  sit,  and  move  where  best  suited  his  ends 
with  a  quiet  mastery  not  to  be  gainsaid. 

It  was  Linda  who  first  attempted  to  run  contrary 
to  his  wishes.  I  had  returned  to  the  Iron  Door  with 
the  taxi  which  Trask  had  requested  me  to  secure. 
We  had  all  entered  except  Trask,  and  we  all  heard 

294 


The  Alster  Case 


with  surprise  his  order  to  the  chauffeur  to  drive  to 
the  Martha  Washington  Hotel. 

"But  I  don't  want  to  go  there.  I  want  to  go 
home,"  expostulated  Linda. 

"There  are  reasons  why  I  want  you  to  stay  there 
to-night,"  replied  Trask  quietly,  getting  into  the 
fourth  seat  and  closing  the  door  behind  him  with 
a  slow  caution  that  was  in  itself  indicative. 

"But "  Linda  started  to  rise  impetuously 

from  her  seat. 

"You  are  going  to  the  Martha  Washington," 
Trask  said  in  a  voice  of  steel. 

Linda  fell  back  in  her  seat  with  a  gasp.  She 
looked  at  Trask  with  astonishment  and  Trask  looked 
at  her.  I  waited  for  that  outbreak  of  temperament 
customary  when  her  wishes  were  crossed;  I  waited 
with  a  sort  of  huge,  smothered  joy,  but  it  failed 
to  come.  Something  in  Trask's  look  must  have 
quelled  it,  for  Linda  got  out  at  the  hotel,  meek  as 
a  lamb,  and  accompanied  Trask  inside. 

He  was  gone  a  long  time,  but  returned  without 
any  apologies  and  ordered  the  chauffeur  to  drive 
us  to  the  Alster  house  on  Seventy-eighth  Street. 
Of  course,  our  strained  relations  had  deposited 
Longstreet  and  me  in  a  sullen  silence  during  Trask's 

295 


The  Alster  Case 


absence.  Longstreet  probably  felt  as  uncomfortable 
at  our  being  left  alone  together  as  I  did,  and  Trask, 
once  back  in  the  cab,  also  withdrew  to  his  own 
thoughts  with  an  absorption  hardly  calculated  to 
put  us  any  more  at  our  ease.  The  taxi  had  barely 
turned  into  Fifth  Avenue  on  its  way  north  before 
I  concluded  I  would  much  prefer  to  stay  in  my  own 
rooms  downtown  that  night  rather  than  to  continue 
on  with  them. 

"I  think,  if  you  don't  mind,"  I  suggested,  "you 
can  drop  me  at  Thirty-fourth  Street  and  I'll  sleep 
in  my  own  rooms  to-night." 

Trask  merely  looked  at  me  and  shook  his  head. 
I  don't  know  what  it  was.  It  was  something  in 
his  look.  I  said  nothing  more  about  what  I  wanted 
or  didn't  want  to  do.  I  allowed  myself  to  be  car- 
ried uptown  with  him. 

But  if  my  wishes  were  ruthlessly  overridden,  I  at 
least  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  Longstreet's 
meet  a  similar  fate.  As  we  were  about  to  turn 
into  Seventy-eighth  Street,  Longstreet  bent  for- 
ward, knocked  on  the  window  and  signed  for  the 
chauffeur  to  stop. 

"What  do  you  want?"  demanded  Trask. 

"I'll  get  out  here  and  walk  along  home,"  he  re- 
296 


The  Alster  Case 


plied.  "I  hardly  care  to  call  on  Miss  Alster  at  this 
ghastly  hour  in  the  morning."  He  smiled,  but  I 
felt  he  did  so  to  cover  up  his  real  objection.  He 
did  not  care  to  meet  Beatrice  so  soon  after  having 
quarreled  with  her. 

"No.  Better  stay.  We  need  you,"  Trask  said, 
waving  for  the  chauffeur  to  keep  on.  "You  needn't 
worry.  I  telephoned  her  we  were  coming,"  he  had 
the  grace  to  add  just  before  the  taxi  drew  up  in 
front  of  the  house. 

For  all  our  supposed  superiority  of  social  posi- 
tion over  this  mere  detective,  we  might  as  well  have 
been  prisoners  in  his  custody. 

As  Trask  with  his  key  let  us  into  the  house,  Bea- 
trice came  from  the  reception  room  to  meet  us. 
There  were  dark  circles  about  her  eyes;  she  had 
undoubtedly  been  crying — over  her  difference  with 
Longstreet,  I  imagined — but  the  quick  look  that 
she  gave  him  showed  no  signs  of  yielding. 

"But — but  where  is  Linda?"  she  asked. 

Trask  explained.  "I  asked  her  to  remain  at  that 
hotel  overnight.  It  was  necessary  for  us  to  have 
a  few  words  with  you  quite  alone,"  he  added. 

She  seemed  a  little  surprised,  but  whether  at  his 
action  or  his  tone,  I  could  not  make  out,  for  she 

297 


The  Alster  Case 


at  once  led  the  way  into  the  reception  room,  and 
Trask  drove  us  both  into  it  ahead  of  him. 

"Miss  Alster,"  he  began  at  once,  "your  silence 
on  one  matter  placed  Miss  Linda  in  a  dangerous 
situation  from  which  we  fortunately  were  just  in 
time  to  save  her.  I  don't  say  this  in  the  way  of 
reproach.  I  state  it  as  a  fact  that  it  would  be  well 
for  you  to  bear  in  mind.  That  is  all  past,  done 
for,  and  attended  to.  But  we  now  face  another 
situation  quite  as  dangerous  for  one  or  two  other 
people,  and  the  time  has  come  for  me  to  tell  you 
so  frankly,  even  brutally." 

He  paused  and  looked  at  her  as  if  hoping  that 
she  would  show  some  signs  of  weakening.  She 
showed  none.  She  merely  stood  there  regarding 
him  gravely,  her  great  dark  eyes  mourning,  yet  un- 
questioning, unyielding. 

"Miss  Alster,"  he  went  on  after  a  minute,  "the 
time  has  arrived  when  I  must  ask  you  certain  ques- 
tions regarding  what  happened  in  this  house  on  the 
night  of  your  aunt's  death.  Will  you  or  won't  you 
answer  them?" 

"I  have  already  told  you  all  I  can." 

"Wait.  Don't  say  that."  Trask  took  a  step  to- 
ward her.  She  did  not  move.  "Listen!  There 

298 


The  Alster  Case 


were  four  people  in  this  house  that  night  who  had 
an  opportunity  to  commit  that  crime.  Miss  Linda 
has  told  me  her  story.  Two  have " 

"Linda  has  told  you!" 

Was  I  mistaken?  Beatrice  seemed  relieved 
rather  than  ah.rmed. 

Trask  went  back.  "Two  have  been  relieved  of 
all  suspicion,  but  this  only  makes  things  that  much 
the  worse  for  the  other  two." 

"Two?"     Beatrice  stared  at  him  with  wonder. 

"Yes,  two.  You  don't  suppose  that  you  alone 
can  pay  the  penalty  for  your  obstinate  silence,  do 
you?  No.  It  places  another  vastly  more  under 
suspicion.  He  was  present  before  the  return  of 
your  aunt.  He  stole  out  of  this  house  soon  after 
she  was  murdered.  He " 

"Ah!     Keith!" 

"No.  Someone  else  whom  you  would  be  much 
more  likely  to  protect;  someone  else  whom  you 
would  have  the  strongest  motive  for  protecting." 

She  looked  from  him  to  each  of  us  as  if  unwilling 
to  decide  whom  he  meant.  "Who?"  she  asked 
finally. 

"Longstreet!"  Trask  threw  the  name  at  her 
like  a  bomb. 

299 


The  Alster  Case 


"Allan?  Oh!"  She  looked  at  Trask  with  hor- 
ror, with  astonishment,  one  hand  going  to  her  heart, 
the  other  reaching  on  the  vain  air  behind  her  for 
support.  For  a  moment  she  stared  at  him  speech- 
lessly; she  seemed  unable  to  get  a  word  from  her 
surprise;  then  her  words  came  fast;  there  was  pas- 
sion, misery,  suffering  in  them. 

"Oh,  no,  no,  no,  don't  tell  me  that!  Don't  tell 
me  that  you  suspect  him  of  anything  just  because 
I — just  because  I — just  because " 

"That'll  be  about  enough  of  this  little  game,  Mr. 
Trask." 

Longstreet  moved  in  between  them. 

Trask  whipped  around  on  him  as  if  this  were 
the  very  thing  for  which  he  had  waited.  "Game !" 
he  sneered.  "I  guess  you'll  find  this  is  something 
more  than  a  game.  Where  were  you  on  the  night 
of  February  5  between  8:30  and  9:20?" 

"I  have  already  told  you  more  than  once  that  if 
you  wanted  to  know  you  must  find  out  for  your- 
self." Longstreet's  tone  was  icy. 

"Yes,  and  I've  found  out,  and  it  doesn't  look  par- 
ticularly well  for  you,  young  man." 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  about  all  that  a  little 
later — when  we  are  alone."  Longstreet  crossed 

300 


The  Alster  Case 


over  to  Beatrice  and  attempted  to  get  her  to  leave 
the  room.  She  shook  her  head. 

"That's  right!  It  would  be  much  better  for  you 
to  stay  and  hear  the  evidence  against  him,"  ex- 
claimed Trask.  "Shall  I  go  on?"  he  asked  after  a 
moment. 

Beatrice  nodded.  Longstreet  ceased  to  persuade 
her.  He  sighed  deeply  and  turned  facing  Trask. 

Trask  squared  round  toward  him.  "This  is  the 
evidence  against  you,"  he  stated.  "On  the  night  of 
the  murder,  Agnes,  the  maid,  heard  one  man  in  the 
room  above  this  when  she  went  upstairs  to  her  room 
at  about  8  130.  She  heard  the  voice  of  another  man 
in  Miss  Linda's  room.  The  last  mentioned  man  was 
Keith.  That  has  been  settled.  And  in  settling  that 
we  have  proved  that  it  could  not  have  been  Keith 
who  was  in  the  library  with  Miss  Beatrice.  Who 
was  it  then?  There  was  someone  there,  for  I  found 
a  transfer  in  the  room  so  punched  as  to  prove  con- 
clusively that  someone  else  was  there.  Who?  Who 
but  yeu?  You  left  your  house  on  the  night  of  the 
murder  at  8:10.  Instead  of  telephoning  from  your 
own  house,  you  went  over  on  Madison  Avenue  and 
telephoned  from  a  pay  station.  You  seemed  greatly 
excited  when  you  came  out  of  the  booth  after  your 

301 


The  Alster  Case 


short  conversation.  You  got  on  a  Madison  Ave- 
nue car  bound  in  this  direction.  It  is  true,  no  one 
saw  you  enter  this  house  on  the  night  of  the  mur- 
der, but  you  dropped  an  unused  transfer  which  I 
have  in  my  possession,  and  you  were  seen  to  leave 
this  house  at  9  :2O,  immediately  after  the  murder. 
It's  of  no  use  for  you  to  dispute  these  facts,  they 
can  be  proved.  It's  no  use  for  you  to  be  silent 
and  to  keep  Miss  Beatrice  silent;  you  were  here, 
you  had  the  opportunity,  there  are  too  many  facts 

against  you,  too  many  witnesses,   too   many " 

Trask  stopped  at  the  sob  and  sudden  fling  toward 
him  of  Beatrice.  "I'll  tell — I'll  tell  you  everything," 
she  cried. 


XIX 

BEATRICE  moved  back  and  sank  into  a  deep 
chair  facing  Trask.     She  gave  not  a  look 
either  to  me  or  to  Longstreet.     It  was  as 
if  we  were  not  there.     She  gazed  steadily  at  Trask 
for  a  moment  as  if  hoping  he  would  relent,  then 
she  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap  and  began. 

"It  will  be  necessary  to  tell  you  something  about 
my  aunt  so  that  you  may  understand,"  she  started 
in  a  voice  so  calm,  so  quiet  and  so  detached  that, 
although  her  gaze  was  directed  steadily  at  Trask, 
it  was  more  as  if  she  were  talking  to  herself.  "Aunt 
Cornelia  was  a  strange  woman,  one  of  quick,  warm, 
generous  impulses,  who  seemed  to  make  many 
friends,  but  only  to  quarrel  with  them.  It  wasn't 
their  fault.  It  wasn't  her  fault.  She  couldn't  help 
it.  There  was  some  queer  twist  in  her  nature,  some- 
thing almost  as  strong  and  baffling  as  mania,  that 
seemed  to  drive  her  into  doing  absurdly  kind  and 
generous  acts  and  then  to  force  her  to  regret  them. 
She  struggled  against  this;  she  suffered  the  deepest 
remorse,  I  am  sure,  every  time  she  had  a  differ- 

303 


The  Alster  Case 


ence  with  anyone ;  yet  she  kept  right  on  having  these 
differences  until  she  had  driven  everyone  away  from 
her  except  Linda  and  me. 

"I  want  you  to  know  that  I  loved  her,  loved  her 
very  dearly."  Beatrice  paused  as  if  perhaps  to 
reassure  herself  on  that  point.  "Sometimes  I  be- 
lieved that  I  was  the  only  one  who  did  understand 
her,  the  only  one  who  understood  that  she  could 
not  help  quarreling  with  the  ones  for  whom  she 
cared  most.  And  yet,  and  yet  I  myself  had  one 
of  the  most  violent  quarrels  with  her."  She  sighed. 
"But  of  that  later.  Something  else  comes  first,  only 
do  remember  that  I  loved  her.  I  wouldn't  like 
you,  no,  nor  her,  to  hear  me  say  what  I'm  going 
to  say  about  her  without  realizing  that  I  loved  her. 

"Aunt  Cornelia  was  so  fond  of  us  that  she  was 
always  becoming  jealous.  She  couldn't  endure  hav- 
ing either  of  us  show  the  slightest,  the  most  pass- 
ing interest  in  anyone  else ;  she  couldn't  endure  hav- 
ing anyone  else  show  the  slightest,  the  most  passing 
interest  in  us.  That  made  it  difficult  for  us  two 
girls  as  children;  that  made  it  even  worse  when 
we  grew  up.  She  seemed  to  sense  immediately 
when  any  man  became  in  the  least  interested  in  us, 
and  she  stopped  at  nothing  to  put  an  end  to  it.  I 

3°4 


The  Alster  Case 


had  no  trouble  on  this  score  until — until  lately;  but 
Linda  was  pretty,  men  liked  to  talk  to  her,  to  call 
on  her,  to  tak*  her  to  the  theater,  to  the  opera, 
to  dances. 

"Poor  Linda!  You  must  bear  this  in  mind.  It 
explains  why  she  feels  as  she  does.  Man  after  man 
that  invited  her  to  places  had  his  invitation  declined, 
not  by  Linda  but  by  her  aunt.  Man  after  man  that 
came  to  call  on  her  was  literally  chilled  and  frozen 
out  of  the  house  by  Aunt  Cornelia.  And  when  this 
wasn't  enough,  when  Harold  Avery  kept  on  in 
spite  of  everything  she  did,  she  even  kept  Linda 
locked  in  her  room  until  she  promised  not  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  him." 

Harold  Avery!  So  there  had  been  a  real  love 
affair  between  Linda  and  Harold  Avery!  Trask 
merely  nodded,  but  I  looked  at  Beatrice  incredu- 
lously. 

"I  was  very  sorry  for  Linda.  There  was  much 
to  be  said  on  her  side.  I  knew  that  she  kept  up 
a  clandestine  correspondence  with  Mr.  Avery,  that 
she  managed  to  see  him  once  in  a  great  while,  but 
always  secretly  so  that  auntie  wouldn't  carry  out: 
her  threat  to  disinherit  her  and  put  her  out  of  the 
house.  Linda  had  been  brought  up  with  the  assur- 

305 


The  Ahter  Case 


ance  that  she  would  inherit  this  entire  estate.  It 
wasn't  long  before  I  learned  that  auntie  was  threat- 
ening to  leave  everything  to  me.  What  I  did  about 
this  seemed  only  fair.  I  had  a  talk  with  Linda  and 
promised  her  that,  if  this  ever  happened,  I  would 
deed  back  half  of  it  to  her. 

"I  couldn't  blame  Linda  very  much  for  meeting 
and  writing  to  Mr.  Avery  after  I  realized  that  she 
really  cared  for  him.  I  blamed  her  even  less  later 
when  I  got  into  trouble  of  the  same  sort.  I  met 
someone  I  liked,  yes,  someone  I  liked  very 
much " 

Beatrice's  voice  had  become  very  soft  and  low 
and  now  she  looked  on  the  floor  at  her  feet  instead 
of  at  Trask.  I  glanced  at  Longstreet.  His  eyes, 
too,  were  on  the  floor.  A  hot  wave  of  jealousy 
broke  over  me,  passed  on,  and  left  me  feeling  like 
ice.  I  wanted  to  spring  up  and  cry  out.  I  couldn't. 
It  was  as  if  all  my  senses  suddenly  became  blunted, 
inoperative.  I  knew  that  Beatrice  was  going  on. 
I  wanted  to  hear  every  word  she  said.  I  had  to 
exert  all  my  force  to  hear,  not  to  miss  more : 

"Naturally,  in  the  course  of  time  he  came  to  call 
on  me.  Aunt  Cornelia  sat  in  the  same  room  with 
us,  just  as  she  had  with  Linda.  She  never  left  us, 

306 


The  Alster  Case 


she  never  said  a  word  to  either  of  us  all  the  time 
he  was  here,  and  she  pretended  not  to  hear  when 
we  tried  to  include  her  in  the  conversation;  I  was 
astonished  when  he  called  again  and — and  a  little 
ashamed — but  soon  I  was  furious,  for  at  the  end 
of  this  call,  my  aunt  told  him  coolly  that  she  didn't 
want  him  to  call  again.  He  came.  It  never  occurred 
to  him  to  attempt  to  meet  me  clandestinely,  and  I 
liked  him  all  the  better  for  that.  This  time  my 
aunt  said  nothing  to  him,  but  afterward  she  told 
me  she  had  written  to  his  father  forbidding  him 
to  have  anything  more  to  do  with  me.  I  upbraided 
her  for  doing  anything  so  undignified.  She  threat- 
ened to  disinherit  me.  I  went  up  and  packed  my 
trunks.  She  became  nearly  frantic.  I  stayed  to 
keep  her  from  going  mad. 

"He  called  again.  The  following  morning  my 
aunt  put  on  her  bonnet,  went  out,  and  was  gone 
nearly  all  day.  It  wasn't  until  long  afterward  that 
I  learned  what  she  had  done — all  of  it."  Beatrice 
flushed.  It  was  some  time  before  she  went  on. 

"The  father  of  the  man  who  had  called  on  me 
was  one  of  the  biggest  and  busiest  of  the  bankers 
downtown  in  this  city.  My  aunt  went  to  his  office 
and  sent  in  her  card.  He  remembered  her  letter 

307 


The  Alster  Case 


and  refused  to  see  her.  She  waited  in  his  outer  office 
from  ten  in  the  morning  until  four  in  the  afternoon 
without  leaving  it  for  a  moment;  but  he  managed 
to  avoid  seeing  her.  Then  she  forced  her  way 
by  the  clerks,  had  a  frantic  scene  with  him  in  his 
own  office  that  all  but  got  into  the  newspapers,  and 
refused  to  leave,  until  he  lost  his  temper  and  swore 
that,  if  his  son  didn't  immediately  break  off  rela- 
tions with  a  family  such  as  hers,  he  would  disown 
him. 

"My  aunt  came  back,  smiling,  happy,  and  told 
me  what  she  had  done.  I  went  out  and  met  Allan 
clandestinely.  He  had  just  left  his  home  for  good 
after  a  frightful  scene  with  his  father.  He  was 
for  never  going  back,  but  I  knew  he  was  on  the 
verge  of  perfecting  an  invention  which  would  make 
him  independent,  and  I  compelled  him  to  return. 
I  did  it  by  promising — no,  it  doesn't  matter  what 
I  promised."  Her  great  dark,  soft  eyes  left  the 
floor,  seemed  just  to  kiss  Longstreet.  It  was  as 
if  a  hot  rake  had  been  drawn  over  my  heart.  I 
looked  toward  the  door.  If  I  could  have  moved,  I 
would  have  gone  then. 

"Go  on!"  It  was  the  first  time  Trask  had 
spoken. 

308 


The  Alster  Case 


"We  had  agreed  not  to  write,  not  to  attempt  to 
see  each  other  unless  something  happened  that 
really  made  it  necessary.  I  know  this  must  have 
been  quite  as  hard  for  you  as  it  was  for  me." 

Again  her  eyes  kissed  Longstreet.  I  knew  by 
the  pause,  by  instinct,  without  looking  at  them,  with 
my  eyes  turned  away  toward  the  door.  Again  my 
feelings  murmured  so  that  I  lost  some  of  her 
words. 

" night  of  the  murder,  Allan  Longstreet  tele- 
phoned me.  His  invention  was  so  nearly  perfected 
that  he  couldn't  wait  any  longer,  he  must  see  me. 
I  implored  him  not  to  come,  to  wait.  He  came.  It 
seemed  like  a  stroke  of  Providence  that  my  aunt 
had  already  left  for  the  opera,  but  I  knew  she  had 
become  suspicious,  not  of  me,  but  of  poor  Linda, 
and  I  feared  she  would  return  and  surprise  us.  So 
I  let  him  in  myself  and  took  him  upstairs  to  the 
library,  and  my  ears  were  on  the  alert.  I  heard 
Agnes  coming  upstairs  and  I  made  him  stop  talk- 
ing. I  didn't  want  to  have  to  pledge  anyone  else 
in  the  house  to  secrecy.  We  talked  and  I  saw  that 
his  invention  was  truly  on  the  verge  of  being  per- 
fected. Not  quite.  It  seemed  to  me  a  time  when 
he  must  not  be  distracted  or  worried,  and  I  feared 

309 


The  Alster  Case 


my  aunt  might  return,  find  him  here,  and  cause  a 
final  break  between  him  and  his  father. 

"I  thought  I  heard  my  aunt's  voice  outside  on 
the  street.  I  told  Allan  what  he  must  do  if  it  proved 
to  be  she.  I  heard  the  front  door  open.  We  ran 
upstairs.  I  pushed  him  into  my  room,  I  closed  the 
door.  I  stood  in  the  hall  outside  determined  that 
my  aunt  should  not  learn  he  was  there.  She  came 
up  and  accused  me  of  having  been  talking  with 
Keith  in  the  library.  She — well,  after  a  time  she 
went  down  to  her  room.  I  went  into  Linda's  room 
and  discovered  Keith  there.  In  my  excitement  I 
had  forgotten  to  knock.  We  agreed  that  Keith  must 
leave  the  house  at  once.  He  was  her  brother,  but 
I  realized  that  this  was  no  time  for  her  to  tell 
auntie  that. 

"I  crept  downstairs  without  making  a  sound.  The 
door  of  my  aunt's  room  was  half  open  and  the  light 
streamed  through  it  into  the  darkened  hall.  I 
looked  in  and  saw  her  sitting  in  a  chair  with  her 
back  toward  the  door  apparently  asleep,  but  there 
was  a  mirror  on  the  wall  in  which  she  could  see  any- 
one who  tried  to  pass  in  the  hall.  I  pulled  the  door 
to,  but  it  couldn't  be  closed  on  account  of  some 
obstruction  on  the  sill.  I  picked  this  up,  found  it 

310 


The  Alster  Case 


was  the  key,  and  closed  the  door  without  making  a 
sound.  Then  I  wondered  how  auntie  could  have 
fallen  asleep  so  quickly,  and  in  a  chair.  I  got  to 
thinking  that  she  must  be  pretending  she  was  asleep 
in  order  to  surprise  anyone  who  attempted  to  come 
downstairs  to  leave  the  house.  So  I  locked  the 
door. 

"I  went  upstairs  and  we  got  Keith  out  of  the 
house  safely.  Then  I  went  into  my  room  and  ex- 
plained to  Allan.  He  did  everything  just  as  I  asked 
him  to.  I  watched  him  down  both  flights  and  out 
of  the  front  door,  and  then  went  back  to  my  room 
and  to  bed.  That's  all  that  happened  in  this  house 
that  night.  Mr.  Longstreet  wasn't  away  from  me 
for  a  moment  except  while  he  was  in  my  room,  and 
I  watched  him  leave  the  house.  You  believe  me, 
don't  you,  Mr.  Trask?"  Beatrice  bent  toward  him 
eagerly. 

"Yes."  Trask's  response  was  quick,  emphatic. 
"But  what  about  the  key  to  your  aunt's  room?" 

"I  dropped  it  into  the  pocket  in  my  dress.  In 
the  excitement  I  never  thought  of  it,  it  slipped  com- 
pletely from  my  mind,  until  after  the  locksmith  had 
opened  the  door  the  next  morning.  Then  I  real- 
ized that  if  I  had  to  explain  how  I  came  by  it,  every- 

3*1 


The  Alster  Case 


thing  would  have  to  be  told  and  Allan  would  be 

drawn  into  the  trouble  and  it  might — it  might 

she  stopped. 

"It  might  what?"  asked  Trask  softly. 

"I  was  afraid  it  might  make  worse  trouble  with 
his  father,  so  I  slipped  the  key  back  into  the  lock. 
Nobody  saw  me.  Then  Linda's  cry  told  me  some- 
thing awful  had  happened.  I — I — you  know  the 
rest."  Beatrice's  voice  broke  down. 

Longstreet  rose  to  his  feet  I  rose  too.  I  won- 
dered if  I  could  slip  out  of  that  door  unnoticed. 
This  was  no  place  for  me.  Every  torturing  second 
was  proving  that  more  and  more  to  me. 

"Your  aunt  appeared  to  be  asleep  in  her  chair — 
quite  the  same  in  every  particular  as  she  seemed 
when  discovered  the  next  morning?"  I  heard  Trask 
ask  her. 

"Yes.  Yes.  I "  Beatrice  failed  to  con- 
tinue. 

"And  Mr.  Longstreet  consented  to  this  silence 
merely  to  protect  himself?" 

"No,  no!  Oh,  no,  not  that!"  Beatrice  rose 
and  stood,  trembling,  before  Trask.  "I — I  had 
to  deceive  him.  I  had  to  make  him  think  his  silence 
was  necessary  in  order  to  protect  little  Linda.  I 

312 


The  Alster  Case 


had  to  deceive  Linda  until  I  could  see  she  suspected 
me  of  knowing  something  about  auntie's  death.  I 
had  to  deceive  everybody — to  tell  lies — to  act  as 
if  I  did  know  the  murderer  of  my  poor  aunt.  I 
couldn't  sleep.  I  couldn't  see  how  I  should  ever  be 
able  to  explain  things  to— to  Allan.  I  couldn't  trust 
anyone.  I  couldn't  see  how  anyone  could  trust  or 
care  for  me  any  longer.  I — Allan,  you  forgive 
me?"  Her  voice  choked.  She  turned  imploringly 
toward  Longstreet. 

He  went  to  her  and  took  her  in  his  arms.  I 
heard  her  sob;  I  heard  him  murmuring  soft,  com- 
forting words.  I  could  stand  it  no  longer.  I  left 
them.  I  left  the  house.  My  head  low,  my  feet 
lagging,  muttering  useless  words  of  comfort  to  my- 
self, I  tramped  through  the  deserted  streets  to  my 
former  abode.  I  had  lost  her. 


XX 

MISS    WALSH  seemed  startled  v/hen  she 
found  me  at  the  office  ahead  of  her  the 
next  morning.     I  blessed  her  for  pass- 
ing on  to  her  desk  without  remark.     I  thanked  her 
from  the  bottom  of  my  soul  for  not  compelling  me 
to  try  my  voice.     I  had  spent  a  night  of  consum- 
ing self-pity,  my  voice — I  wasn't  sure  of  it. 

My  fingers  twitched  as  I  moved  the  morning  mail 
aimlessly  to  and  fro  about  my  desk.  I  felt  the  ne- 
cessity of  appearing  busy  with  her  eyes  upon  me, 
though,  whenever  I  looked,  she  seemed  consider- 
ately to  be  keeping  them  off  me.  In  a  few  minutes 
I  knew  I  must  call  her  for  the  morning  dic- 
tation. I  nerved  myself  for  it.  I  tried  my 
voice  in  an  undertone  once  or  twice  before  I 
trusted  it. 

And  yet  it  must  have  revealed  to  her  my  wretched, 
broken  condition,  for  she  rose  so  impetuously  that 
her  chair  toppled  over  and  she  came  hurrying  to 
me  without  delaying  to  right  it.  But  oh,  her  dis- 
cernment and  consideration !  She  did  not  ask  me  a 


The  "Alster  Case 


question.  She  stood  looking  at  me  a  moment  and 
then  sat  down  quietly  beside  me. 

I  had  protected  myself  against  any  questions  or 
at  least  I  thought  I  had.  My  head  was  lowered 
over  the  only  letter  in  that  morning's  mail  I  had 
bethought  me  to  open.  Long  afterward,  she  told  me 
that  I  was  poring  over  a  letter  that  was  upside 
down.  I  did  not  know  it.  Not  that  morning. 

I  began  to  dictate.  I  made  a  mistake  in  the  name 
and  I  observed  that  she  corrected  it  without  word 
to  me.  By  sheer  brute  force  of  will,  I  managed 
to  dictate  a  sentence  or  two.  Then  I  began  to  ask 
her  to  read  back  to  me  from  her  notes.  I  must 
have  requested  this  oftener  than  I  realized. 

"I  know,  I  think,  what  you  wish  said  to  him," 
she  suggested  gently. 

"What?"  My  voice  seemed  to  be  all  right  when 
I  was  cross. 

"You  will  agree  to  renew  his  lease  on  the  same 
terms,  provided  he'll  assume  the  expense  of  all  ex- 
cept extraordinary  repairs,"  she  stated,  and  then 
added  as  an  afterthought,  "same  as  you  did  with 
Judson." 

"Y-es,  that  will  do,"  I  grudged  and  then  availed 
myself  of  the  excuse  she  supplied,  "same  as  I  did 

315 


The  Alster  Case 


with  Judson,  just  as  you  say,  we  must  treat  all 
tenants  alike."  I  pushed  the  letter  along  my  desk 
toward  her. 

"Shall  I  wait  until  this  afternoon  for  the  rest  of 
the  letters?"  she  asked  immediately. 

"No.     Why?"  I  demanded  gruffly. 

"I — well,  I  have  some  of  yesterday's  mail  left." 

"Ah,  it  doesn't  do  for  me  to  be  away  from  the 
office  so  much,  I  see,"  I  exclaimed,  relieved. 

"No." 

Something  about  the  way  she  said  it  simply  broke 
down  my  guard.  "I  won't  be — much — after  this !" 
I  promised  bitterly. 

She  gasped. 

I  turned  and  made  sure  I  had  heard  aright.  Her 
thin,  pretty,  young  face  wore  a  look  of  surprise  and 
her  eyes  escaped  mine.  She  rose.  She  sat  down 
again  beside  me  rigidly.  "To  whom  did  you  say 
the  next  letter  was?"  she  demanded  nervously  and 
she  fumbled  in  her  hair  for  the  pencil  she  had 
dropped  on  the  floor. 

I  picked  up  her  pencil  and  handed  it  to  her. 
Somehow  her  agitation  had  the  effect  of  quieting 
mine.  My  eyes  lingered  on  her.  I  saw  how  allur- 
ing she  was  with  her  dark  hair  and  blue  eyes  and 

316 


The  Alster  Case 


with  her  pale  face  just  washed  with  the  high  colors 
of  the  rose. 

"Why  did  you  really  want  to  put  off  taking  the 
rest  of  these  letters,  Mary?"  I  asked  and  my  voice 
had  come  back. 

"I — I  don't  know."  She  looked  to  assure  her- 
self of  the  change  in  me.  "You — you  didn't  seem 
quite  yourself,"  she  said. 

"I'm  not."  I  sighed.  "I've  been  through  a  lot. 
I've  been  a  fool,"  I  cried,  "but — but  I'm  not  going 
to  be  anybody's  fool  any  longer." 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad!  I  saw "  that  was  all 

she  said. 

"What  did  you  see,  Mary?"  I  asked  her  gently. 

"I  saw  how  earnest  you  were,  I  saw  how " 

she  stopped  until  my  eyes  begged  her  to  go  on. 
"I  saw  how  you  were  being  used  and  how  mistaken 
you  were,  and  it  made  me  wild,  it  made  me  furious 
at  the  way  you  were  being  misled,  at  the  way  all 
you  did  was  taken  for  granted.  Why!  I  don't 

know  another  man  in  New  York  that — that " 

She  stopped  and  rose,  breathless  with  resentment. 

My  own  anger  taken  up  by  another!  How  it 
soothed!  "Yes,"  I  murmured  and  fell  into  pleas- 
ant dreams. 

317 


The  Alster  Case 


"You  looked  so  wretched  when  I  came  in  this 
morning.  You  need  a  long,  long  rest  or  you'll  break 
down.  You  must  go  away  and  let  me  take  care  of 
things,"  she  mused,  her  anger  all  gone  now. 

"Yes,  Mary."    I  rose  and  stood  beside  her. 

"Will  you?"  she  asked  softly  without  moving 
away  from  me. 

"Yes,  Mary."  I  let  my  hand  fall  on  hers,  man- 
euvered it  into  mine,  caressing  it  with  the  other. 
"Yes,  Mary,"  I  repeated,  wishing  she  would  turn 
toward  me  and  no  longer  look  away  with  that 
strange,  tense  look  on  her  young  face. 

I  put  an  arm  around  her  waist  without  giving 
up  her  hand  and  then  she  turned,  a  look  on  her 
face  such  as  I  had  never  seen  in  any  woman's  be- 
fore, a  look  of  hope  still  clinging  to  a  little  doubt, 
a  look  of  uncertainty  so  delicious  that  she  hesitated 
to  make  sure. 

I  drew  her  to  me  and  our  lips  met.  Mary  Walsh, 
whom  I  had  always  thought  so  sarcastic,  so  cold, 
so  hard-hearted! 

"There  must  be  one  more  foolish  answer,"  I 
declared. 

She  laughed.  "Ask  your  foolish  question  first," 
she  retorted. 


The  Alster  Case 


I  don't  know  how  long  afterward  it  was  when 
the  door  opened  and  Trask  appeared.  I  expected 
him,  but  it  was  Mary's  quick  ear  that  detected  his 
coming  and  forestalled  our  being  caught.  Mary 
withdrew  to  her  desk  at  once  and  Trask  sank  into 
the  chair  she  had  occupied  before  we  had  come  to 
our  wonderful  understanding. 

After  a  moment,  he  began  to  laugh.  "I've  just 
come  from  the  Martha  Washington,"  he  announced. 

"Yes?"  I  was  eager  to  complete  my  necessary 
business  with  him  so  as  to  be  alone  with  Mary 
again. 

"The  little  minx  I  Whom  do  you  suppose  Miss 
Linda  had  there  to  breakfast  with  her?"  Trask  de- 
manded with  humor. 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea." 

"Harold  Avery.  It  was  a  sort  of  betrothal 
breakfast.  They  had  fixed  everything  up,  were 
having  one  of  those  smooth,  June  antemarital  argu- 
ments as  to  whether  the  ceremony  should  be  per- 
formed in  church  or — Lord,  but  you  look  all  in, 
Swan!" 

"You're  the  second  one  to  tell  me  that  this  morn- 
ing," I  grumbled. 

"Yes,  I  noticed  that  your  stenographer  seemed 
319 


rather  more  than  passingly  interested  in  you,"  he 
retorted  in  a  voice  lowered  so  as  not  to  carry  across 
the  office  to  her. 

How  had  he  observed  it  so  quickly?  His  swift 
insight  made  me  uncomfortable.  "Well,  I  suppose 
you're  about  through  now  with  the  Alster  case,"  I 
veered  to  change  the  subject. 

"Y-es,  I  think  so." 

"With  Beatrice,  Linda,  Keith  and  Longstreet  all 
cleared  from  suspicion,  I  fancied  you  must  be  nearly 
ready  to  give  it  up.  And  if  not " 

"If  not — well,  what?     Go  on,"  he  ordered. 

"If  not — well,  as  executor  of  the  estate  and  pay- 
master, I  felt  it  was  about  time  to  lodge  a  protest 
against  continuing  the  investigation  much  longer. 
It  seems  to  me  like  a  wasteful  and  unnecessary  ex- 
pense, doesn't  it  appear  so  to  you?" 

He  answered  with  a  question:  "When  does  your 
stenographer  go  to  luncheon?" 

"At  noon,  one,  or  half  past,  any  time — why?" 

"Why  not  send  her  now?"  At  my  amazed,  in- 
quiring look,  he  added,  "Then  we  can  talk  the 
entire  matter  over  by  ourselves." 

I  accepted  his  suggestion.  "You  don't  like  her," 
I  hinted  as  soon  as  the  door  had  closed  behind  her. 

320 


The  Alster  Case 


"She  doesn't  like  me.  She  has  taken  a  strong 
and  intuitive  dislike  to  me  for  coming  in  here  and 
wasting  your  time  and  energy.  Subordinates  are  so 
much  more  stingy  of  their  employer's  time  than  em- 
ployers are  themselves.  Not  that  it  isn't  excusable 
in  your  case.  You  haven't  been  sleeping  well,  have 
you?" 

"No.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  drawn  through  a 
rat  hole  this  morning." 

"You  need  a  rest.  You  must  get  away  from  the 
excitement  of  all  this." 

"I — I've  been  thinking  of  doing  that." 

He  nodded.    "When  are  you  leaving?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  know." 

"Ah,  as  soon  as  things  shape  themselves  up  right, 
I  suppose." 

I  nodded.  Was  Trask  never  going  to  get  down 
to  business?  His  circumlocution  made  me  restive. 
"Well,  what  about  the  Alster  case?  Are  you  ready 
to  turn  in  your  account  and  close  it  up?"  I  brought 
him  back. 

"N-o,  not  exactly." 

What  was  the  matter  with  Trask?  I  had  not 
dreamed  he  could  be  so  undecided.  "But  I  thought 
you  said  you  were  through,"  I  protested. 

321 


The  Alster  Case 


"I  don't  want  to  deceive  you,"  he  broke  in. 

"You  mean  you  still  want  to  keep  on  with  it?" 
I  stared  at  him  with  amazement. 

"You  misunderstood  me.  I  said  I  was  about 
through  with  it,"  he  explained. 

"Oh  I"  I  laughed,  wondering  on  what  score  he 
thought  to  keep  on  it  longer. 

Trask  jerked  his  chair  round  so  that  he  faced 
me.  "Swan,"  he  said  suddenly,  "who  was  it  that 
telephoned  you  the  news  from  the  house  the  morn- 
ing after  the  murder?" 

"Agnes — yes,  Agnes,  the  maid." 

"Yes,  can  you  remember  just  what  she  said  to 
you?" 

"I  don't  know."  I  thought  a  moment.  "Why, 
yes,  something  to  the  effect  that  Miss  Alster  couldn't 
be  waked  and  Miss  Beatrice  wanted  me  to  come 
right  up  to  the  house." 

"That  was  all?" 

"Yes." 

"She  didn't  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  Miss  Alster 
had  been  murdered?" 

"No." 

"You're  sure  of  that?" 

"Why,  yes — of  course."  I  looked  at  him.  "Good 
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Lord,  you  aren't  off  now  on  a  blind  trail  after  poor 
Agnes,  are  you?" 

"No." 

"Then  what?" 

"Swan,  I  want  you  to  think  very  carefully  before 
you  answer  my  next  question." 

I  started  involuntarily  at  his  solemn  tone.  Whom 
in  the  name  of  heaven  was  he  suspecting  now?  His 
manner  irritated  me;  his  last  words  swelled  huge 
to  me  as  a  threat;  I  had  to  take  a  grip  on  myself 
to  keep  from  showing  the  nervous  defiance  he  had 
roused  in  me.  "Go  on,"  I  said  controlling  my 
voice. 

He  waited — waited — waited.  It  was  as  if  he 
were  determined  to  work  up  my  nerves  to  their 
highest  pitch  with  his  intolerable  silence.  The  office 
seemed  insufferably  hot.  I  got  up,  went  over  and 
opened  a  window,  came  back,  sat  down,  looked  at 
him  expectantly — and  still  he  waited.  I  became 
obstinate,  angry,  determined  not  again  to  request 
his  confidence.  Suddenly,  my  mind  roamed  off  over 
everyone  else  whom  he  now  could  possibly  suspect, 
came  back  foiled,  without  an  answer.  In  a  rage  I 
vowed  not  to  ask  him  another  question.  My  rage 
burned,  flashed  up  like  a  bonfire,  burned  out.  I 

323 


The  Alster  Case 


felt  my  purpose  weakening.  I  could  stand  anything 
better  than  this  insufferable  waiting.  Fool  I  I  asked 
him  to  go  on  again  and  my  voice  trembled  in  spite 
of  myself. 

"You  remember  I  told  you  I  met  young  Avery 
this  morning?"  he  inquired  in  a  voice  so  smooth 
and  calm  that  it  made  me  furious  again. 

"Yes,  what  of  that?"  I  delighted  in  the  snarl 
that  had  gone  with  my  words.  "For  God's  sake,  if 
you  suspect  him  or  anyone  else,  get  it  out." 

He  bent  toward  me  sharply.  "Swan,"  he  de- 
manded, "if  Agnes  telephoned  you  only  that  Miss 
Alster  couldn't  be  waked,  how  was  it  that  you  told 
the  Averys  that  morning  that  Miss  Alster  had  been 
murdered?" 

I  collapsed. 

"How  did  you  know  it  before  you  had  been  told?" 

I  sat  staring  at  him  stupidly,  speechlessly. 

"How  could  you  know  it  before  you  had  been  up 
to  the  house?" 

I  could  not  see  him  now.  He  had  faded  away 
directly  before  my  eyes.  I  could  only  hear  his  voice 
from  a  great  distance — a  word  now  and  then — a 
dull  murmur  in  between. 

"Thumb  print  .  .  .  pistol  used  .  .  .  never  told 
324 


The  Alster  Case 


a  soul  ...  no  one  else  noticed  it  ...  took  im- 
pression .  .  .  must  have  yours  now  .  .  .  compare  .  .  ." 

I  started  to  rise  to  make  for  the  open  window. 
He  closed  with  me  and  held  me  in  my  chair.  I 
struggled  until  I  was  exhausted,  until  I  saw  how 
useless  it  all  was.  I  lay  back  in  the  chair.  My 
mind  went  blank. 

Suddenly  I  became  conscious  that  Trask  was 
washing  my  face  with  cold  water,  was  murmuring 
his  sympathy  for  me.  It  was  too  much.  I  threw 
my  head  on  my  arms.  I  broke  down. 

Five  minutes  later  I  confessed. 


XXI 

LITTLE  remains  to  be  recorded  to  complete 
this  story.  I  murdered  Miss  Alster.  I 
did  it  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  That 
is  the  best  that  can  be  said  of  me.  For  some  time 
after  I  did  it,  I  cajoled  myself  into  believing  that 
my  strongest  motive  was  Beatrice,  but,  after  my 
confession,  I  began  to  see  things  more  clearly,  as 
they  really  were,  without  any  further  self-deception, 
without  any  need  of  it.  Now,  I  know  that  my  real 
impulse  was  a  selfish  one  wrapped  in  a  thin  dis- 
guise of  unselfishness.  I  want  to  be  quite  frank 
and  honest  about  it  now. 

When  I  took  Miss  Alster  to  the  opera  that  night, 
I  made  my  first  mistake,  the  mistake  which  led  di- 
rectly to  it.  I  allowed  her  to  perceive  that  I  was 
in  love  with  Beatrice.  The  change  toward  me  in 
her  attitude  was  instant.  She  put  me  in  my  place 
with  a  few  hot,  quick  words.  I  accepted  her  rebuke 
with  meekness  and  apologies,  praying  to  heaven  that 
my  error  would  not  lose  me  Miss  Alster's  favor. 
I  can  only  say  that  the  loss  of  her  patronage  meant 

326 


The  Alster  Case 


everything  to  me.  The  story  shows  that.  And  so, 
when  soon  afterward  she  rose  in  the  midst  of  the 
performance  to  leave  the  opera  house,  I  felt  that  I 
had  lost — lost  everything.  I  felt  I  was  resentenced 
to  the  hopeless  drudgery  and  oblivion  of  my  former 
work  with  Avery,  Avery  &  Avery. 

She  said  not  a  word  to  me  on  our  ride  back  to 
her  house  except  to  order  me  to  stop  the  taxi  at 
the  corner  instead  of  driving  up  to  the  door.  I 
wondered  at  this.  I  wondered  if  her  sudden  return 
home  and  her  sullen  preoccupation  on  the  way  might 
not  be  due  to  something  other  than  her  offense  at 
my  confession.  When  we  approached  the  house  and 
I  saw  her  look  up  at  the  light  in  the  library  and 
mutter,  "Now,  Miss  Linda,  I'll  catch  you  at  it,"  I 
took  hope. 

Eager  to  restore  myself  in  her  favor,  I  seized 
the  key  from  her  hand  and  opened  the  front  door. 
She  swept  by  me  without  a  word  and  ran  upstairs. 
I  was  half  a  block  away  on  my  journey  home  before 
I  realized  that  I  still  had  her  latchkey  in  my  hand. 

I  returned  to  the  door,  but  hesitated  to  ring  the 
bell.  It  seemed  to  me  that  she  might  think  me 
more  considerate  if  I  bore  the  key  straight  to  her 
myself.  I  entered  the  house  with  her  key.  I  went 

327 


The  Alster  Case 


upstairs,  hopeful  that  she  would  appreciate  my  ac- 
tion. The  lights  in  her  room  were  on  and  the  door 
half  open.  I  knocked  and,  fancying  that  she  bade 
me  enter,  I  went  in. 

She  was  not  in  the  outer  room.  I  went  into  the 
inner  room.  She  was  not  there.  And  then  it 
dawned  on  me  for  the  first  time  that  the  loud  and 
angry  voice  I  heard  on  the  floor  above  was  hers. 
At  the  same  moment,  I  heard  her  exclaim, 

"Beatrice,  I've  caught  you  this  time!  I  know  it 
was  Keith  I  surprised  you  with.  Your  silence  won't 
protect  him.  But  to  think  that  you,  too,  would  flirt 
with  the  butler  in  my  house  I  I  might  have  known 
it,  after  learning  that  you  have  been  making  advances 
even  to  Mr.  Swan,  my  new  lawyer.  But  you  shan't 
pull  the  wool  over  my  eyes  any  longer.  To-morrow 
Keith  leaves  my  house,  and  to-morrow,  young  lady, 
I'll  discharge  Mr.  Swan  and  make  a  new  will  dis- 
inheriting you." 

She  said  more,  but  I  failed  to  hear  it.  I  had 
already  heard  the  worst.  I  was  to  lose  the  one 
chance  in  my  life  and  Beatrice  was  to  be  disinherited. 
I  don't  know  how  long  I  stood  there  in  her  room 
undecided  what  to  do,  whether  to  leave  the  key  and 
attempt  to  steal  away  unnoticed  or  to  wait  and  face 

328 


The  Alster  Case 


her.  But  while  I  was  yet  dazed  by  the  terrible  re- 
sults of  my  mistake,  she  came  running  furiously 
down  the  stairs,  cutting  off  my  retreat. 

I  simply  could  not  face  her  in  my  terribly  agitated 
state  of  mind.  Without  realizing  what  I  was  doing, 
I  slipped  into  a  corner  of  the  inner  room  as  she 
entered  the  outer  one.  There  I  crouched  low,  think- 
ing only  of  seizing  the  first  chance  offered  to  escape. 
But  she  seemed  watchful  and  strangely  suspicious. 
She  drew  a  chair  into  the  inner  room.  She  sat 
down  within  a  few  feet  of  me  with  her  back  toward 
me,  shutting  off  my  escape.  I  wondered  why  she 
had  unaccountably  chosen  to  sit  just  there.  At  last 
I  learned.  Her  eyes  were  riveted  on  a  mirror  in 
the  outer  room.  In  this  mirror  she  watched  the 
door  as  if  to  intercept  some  passerby  in  the  hall  out- 
side. And  soon  she  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  as 
though  asleep;  but  she  did  this  too  quickly,  I  knew 
she  was  merely  feigning  sleep  while  she  kept  watch 
of  that  door. 

My  own  alarm  gave  way  to  a  feeling  of  indig- 
nation at  the  summary  manner  in  which  she  had 
treated  me  merely  for  having  confessed  an  honest 
liking  for  her  niece.  It  was  unfair,  unjust,  unutter- 
ably mean  and  spiteful  of  her,  after  she  had  raised 

329 


The  Alster  Case 


in  me  such  vast  hopes.  I  crouched  there  in  the  cor- 
ner behind  her  for  what  seemed  hours,  but  for  what 
could  only  have  been  a  few  minutes,  and  my  rage 
against  her  grew  higher  with  every  moment.  Then 
my  muscles  became  cramped,  I  could  crouch  there 
no  longer.  I  put  my  hand  on  the  dresser  at  my 
side  to  rise,  and  it  came  upon  the  pistol  she  always 
kept  there.  I  drew  it  down  to  me.  It  was  as  if  I 
had  been  placed  there  for  a  purpose.  And  it  was 
already  cocked!  I  felt  a  sudden  gust  of  anger.  I 
raised  it  and  fired. 

The  rest  has  all  been  told.  I  must  have  slept 
some  of  the  time,  but  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  never 
slept  a  minute  from  that  moment  until  after  my 
confession. 

I  am  sorry.  I  could  not  foresee  in  that  one  hot 
instant  the  sad  confusion  my  crime  has  wrought  in 
the  lives  of  so  many  others.  I  like  to  think  that 
for  that  one  moment  I  was  insane,  but  I  offered 
no  such  excuse  for  my  action  at  the  trial.  I  wanted 
to  expiate  my  crime.  This  was  an  excuse  reserved 
for  myself. 

I  cannot  repair  the  havoc  I  caused  in  many  lives, 
but  at  least  I  am  expiating  my  crime.  And  yet  I 
must  be  frank  and  admit  that  I  was  relieved  when, 

330 


The  Alster  Case 


because  of  work  by  Mary  Walsh,  I  was  sentenced 
to  prison  for  life  instead  of  being  sent  to  the  elec- 
tric chair. 

It  was  Mary  who  prepared  my  mother  for  meet- 
ing me  and  led  her  away  from  this  prison.  It  was 
due  to  Mary  that  I  am  alive  to  write  this.  Dear, 
loyal,  unselfish  Mary  Walsh!  If  I  had  only  seen 
you  in  your  true  light  in  time  instead  of  groping 
ambitiously  for  another  above  my  station  in  life. 
When  I  get  out,  I  must  try  to  make  up  to  Mary 
something  of  all  she  has  done  for  me.  She  has  won 
over  the  judge  who  sat  at  my  trial;  she  has  won 
over  the  district  attorney;  she  has  obtained  their 
promises  not  to  oppose  her  plea  for  a  parole  for 
me  from  the  governor  a  few  years  from  now. 

Everyone  has  been  so  good  to  me !  It  was  Trask 
who  first  put  me  in  the  way  of  remaking  my  life, 
of  redeeming  something  from  all  that  seemed 
doomed.  He  read  my  statement  of  what  happened 
that  Mary  used  to  secure  a  lighter  sentence  for 
me.  He  infused  me  with  a  belief  that  I  could 
mitigate  the  tedium  of  prison  life,  that  I  could  per- 
haps make  a  lot  of  money  for  my  mother  and  Mary 
by  expanding  that  statement  into  a  book.  I  have 
tried  it.  This  is  the  story. 

(i) 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL JJJWAHY  FACILITY 


A     000127934     8 


J.  T.  HOPKINS 


